If sleep apnea goes untreated, it can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, and, yes, blood clots. Patients who suffer from sleep apnea are more at risk of developing blood clots in the lungs which is otherwise known as pulmonary embolism. A patient that has had one or more pulmonary embolisms has a 30% higher risk of developing another blood clot in the future.
It is always important to uncover the contributing factors for pulmonary embolisms to reduce the risk of future blood clots and, in turn, limit the risk of dying. One contributing factor to these higher risks is obstructive sleep apnea or OSA. This also shares many of the same risk factors with pulmonary embolism.
A study undertaken by Dr. Alberto Alonso-Fernández looked at 120 patients for up to eight years after their first pulmonary embolism. The research found that 19% of the patients had a recurring pulmonary embolism and 16% of these experienced sleep apnea. Therefore, the study found that patients who suffered from OSA had a higher risk of getting another blood clot.
Looking at the Apnea-Hypopnea Index which studies the level of sleep apnea and nocturnal hypoxemia (a low concentration of oxygen in the blood while sleeping), it was found that these are related risk factors for recurring blood clots.