Sleep apnea is also a risk factor for systemic hypertension, pulmonary hypertension, stroke, and heart disease. Surgery is more dangerous for patients with undiagnosed sleep apnea, because they may stop breathing while under anesthesia. Primary care physicians can make a preliminary diagnosis of sleep apnea by asking patients a few questions. The combination of snoring and a large collar size indicates an especially high likelihood of sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea should also be suspected in patients who are obese and in those with receding chins, as both of these conditions are associated with soft-tissue compression of the airway during sleep.
Fatigue can be a possible symptom of sleep apnea in perimenopausal women.
In research carried out at the sleep center, Schwab has used MRI to compare soft tissue measurements in overweight patients with sleep apnea and normal controls. Although the parapharyngeal fat pads are enlarged in pati ents with sleep apnea, they appear to have little effect in collapsing the upper airways. He plans next to document the soft tissue changes that occur in patients whose sleep apnea improves with weight loss. Furthermore, evidence from other studies Schwab has performed, in which actual apneic events have been imaged, suggests that the lateral pharyngeal walls play an important role in determining airway dimensions. CPAP has been shown to decrease the size of the lateral pharyngeal wall, therefore increasing airway caliber.