Sleep Apnea? Refrain from Flying

Posted on May 24, 2008 in Latest News

Sleep apnea is a common condition in which breathing either stops or becomes quite shallow. Obstructive sleep apnea is one of the the most common forms of the condition. When it strikes, people cannot get enough air through their mouth or nose, and the levels of oxygen in the blood may drop.

During a flight journey, people with acute obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be at a greater risk of cardiac stress than healthy people, according to a study. Researchers compared oxygen levels and ventilation of healthy people with those suffering severe OSA during simulated flight conditions.

“We predicted that OSA patients would have a much sharper fall in oxygen levels because they might not increase their breathing as much,” said Leigh Seccombe, who led the study.

“We found that patients with OSA do have a lower blood oxygen level before and during flight stimulation, but that the change in oxygen was similar. We also found that their breathing intensity increases at about the same rate as it does in healthy people,” she added.

People with obstructive sleep apnea clearly have increased metabolic demands during air travel, Seccombe said. “For many who have heart or other vascular disease, this may place them at increased risk of cardiac events such as heart attack or arrhythmia, but the extent of that risk is uncertain,” she said.

Seccombe said the researchers performed the study, because obstructive sleep apnea is becoming much more common as obesity increases. The findings were expected to be presented Sunday at the American Thoracic Society’s 2008 International Conference, in Toronto.

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