neurology/respiratory

2 years ago I was diagnosed with Peripheral Polyradiculopathy. About a year ago(after a sleep study) I was classified with Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, Hypoxemia, and Hypersomnia.  The obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, Hypoxemia, & Hypersomnia have never been addressed.  I found this out by receiving a copy of my sleep study.  Is there a connection between the polyradiculopathy and the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome & etc?  What can I do?

[National Jewish]

There is no connection between the polyradiculopathy and the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.  Polyradiculopathy does not cause obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.  Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome does not cause polyradiculopathy.  However, the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome could influence your adjustment to the polyradiculopathy.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which the airway does not fully open during sleep.  This causes breathing to stop temporarily while sleeping for up to a minute at a time.  This may happen several hundred times a night.  Each time this happens it is an episode of apnea.  This could cause you to feel quite sleepy during the day.  It is possible that you are aware of this because you wake yourself up gasping for air.  It is more common that the spouse notices first.  Snoring is what often alerts people to the problem.

Talk with your doctor to find out why you were not informed of the results of your sleep study.  Also check with your doctor to find out if your sleep study results show that you should be treated.  The most common and effective treatment is to use a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device during sleep.  This is a machine that delivers air pressure into the lungs to keep the airways open while sleeping.  Please read our Treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/sleep_apnea_treating.html for more information.