Computer Science Provides a Better Way to Test for Sleep Apnea

The current method of proper sleep testing should not be viewed so negatively

Before jumping to a conclusion regarding how best to establish a proper diagnosis of a sleep related breathing disorder (such as obstructive sleep apnea), it is important to have a clear understanding of the issues. The report here states that current sleep testing methods provide a one dimensional look at the patients sleep. This is by far not true. Multiple parameters are monitored all at once time. What is important to understand is that severe sleep apnea is easy to diagnosis. All you need to do is watch someone stop breathing while asleep. However, the fact is that a person does not have to stop breathing in order to have Obstructive Sleep Apnea. There can be milder forms of airway blockage; with reduction of air flow resulting in what is called hypopneas. Repetitive hypopneas can still pose an increase risk for stroke, heart disease ... etc. There are many people who have very subtle disturbances in their breathing during sleep that cause repetitive disruptions in their sleep continuity and that without measuring the disruption in the brain activity then quantifying these disruptions is not possible. A condition called the Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome presents this type of problem. Many people diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome actually suffer from the Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome. I encourage readers to find more information on my web page at www.HoustonSleep.net .

The technology presented in this report is exciting and should be investigated further and compared to with current techniques, not only in severe cases but symptomatic patients that have a mild degree of breathing disturbance. Hopefully over time we will come to recognize how thermal imaging techniques can be best used, but for now we should not discredit the current technology that is able to provide good care to many people.

Jerald H Simmons, MD Sleep Disorders Specialist of TX @ Nov 05, 2009 03:27:24 AM