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Can Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) cause cancer?
By FEDERICO CERRONE, MD │June 13, 2012
Obstructive sleep apnea is a problem that occurs during sleep. A person's upper airway is blocked usually due to some structural issue. As a result, that person's sleep is interrupted which can lead to daytime sleepiness and fatigue. Sleep apnea has been to shown to cause high blood pressure and increases the risk for stroke and diabetes.
Recent articles now have linked sleep apnea and cancer. One group in Spain looking at 5,000 patients found that severe sleep apnea patients had up to 65 times greater risk of developing some type of cancer. In another study following 1,500 government workers from Wisconsin, the authors concluded those patients with more severe apnea could be at four times more risk of dying from cancer compared to non apnea patients.
It is important to note that more studies need to be done to confirm these findings.
Ask your physician about sleep apnea or call our sleep center for more information.
