Sleep Apnea What is OSA and different methods of treating Created by: Kara Allen ... and on the box sat a fat and red faced boy, in the state of somnolency Charles Dickens, “The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club”. What is OSA Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a potentially life threatening and life altering breathing disorder that occurs during sleep.  The upper airway repeatedly collapses causing a  cessation of breathing (apnea) or inadequate breathing (hypopnea) and sleep fragmentation which causes excessive daytime sleepiness. Epidemiologic factors Prevalence: Affects 1 in 25 adult males and 1 in 50 adult females; in children OSA is 1%-3%.  OSA has the highest incidence in middle-aged persons. Treatment Non-surgical VS.                      Surgical -CPAP                                                               -uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP) -diet and exercise                                               -laser assisted UPPP -biteguards                                                        -jaw surgery -BIPAP                                                              -tracheostomy For additional info: Do oral appliances help in obstructive sleep apnea Information about sleep society in Kentucky When to suspect OSA Sleep disorders find successful results

The chart to the left shows a five-second excerpt of record 0000 from the SHHS Polysomnography Database. An obstructive apnea ("Ob.A", annotated near the top of the chart) begins during  this excerpt; the annotation indicates that the total duration of this event was 15.1 seconds, during which SaO2 dropped by 2% to a minimum level of 95%. To explore the data surrounding this event, click here.