– Dr. Chandramohan, Senior ENT Surgeon, Kamineni Hospitals, LB Nagar, Hyderabad
Obesity has strong corelation with OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea), and in obese people due to increased fat deposition in the throat, the upper airway narrowing shall occur along with decreased muscle activity which leads to multiple hypoxic and apneic episodes through the sleep.
The decreased oxygenation ultimately is a contributory factor to hypertension and cardiovascular diseases.
In India the incidence of OSA is about 3-17% , with male affected more than females among an age group of around 30 -50 years.
The most common risk factors include obesity, DM2, hypercholestemia, hypertension, depression.
Luckily, we can treat OSA with surgical and non-surgical techniques which include weight reduction, reducing BP and anxiety and those who cannot be treated medically can be treated surgically.
OSA is an important health crisis that demands multi-layered intervention which if diagnosed early can be treated, and can improve the overall health of the individual.
