Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a common condition affecting millions of people in the United States. Its incidence is especially
prevalent among people with obesity, retrognathia, and adenotonsillar hypertrophy (large tonsils and/or adenoids). While adult
sleep apnea is quite complex, often a result of many co-existing conditions, children with sleep apnea and snoring have a very high
cure rate, many studies quoting it to be >90% with adenotonsillectomy (tonsil and adenoid removal) alone.
There are three main classifications of sleep apnea, obstructive, central, and mixed. Obstructive sleep apnea is due to collapse of
the airway during sleep at the level of the nasal cavity, soft palate, tongue, and voice box. Central sleep apnea is when, for a variety
of reasons, your brainstem fails to instruct your lungs to breath adequately during sleep. Mixed sleep apnea, is a combination of these
two main types. The treatment for each type is very different, and a sleep study in a sleep laboratory is required to adequately
differentiate between these classifications.
If you feel that you or your child may suffer from sleep apnea, with symptoms ranging from difficulty concentrating to extreme fatigue, make an
appointment with Dr York today, CLICK HERE!
For more information about adenotonsillectomy for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, CLICK HERE!
Additional resources can be found here: American Sleep Association.
Sleep Study Questionnaire
ft
in
BMI curves for girls. -from the CDC website