What are the types of sleep apnea?

There are two basic types of sleep apnea: obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. Learn more from Scott Leibowitz, MD, FAASM, about the different types of sleep apnea.

Transcript

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SCOTT LEIBOWITZ: Generally there is thought to be two basic types of sleep apnea,

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one being obstructive sleep apnea where the throat collapses and blocks the airway, and then central sleep apnea.

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Central sleep apnea is where the brain doesn't send a signal to breathe while asleep and does so in sort of a cyclical fashion, much

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like that of obstructive sleep apnea. It can cause sleep disruption and sleep fragmentation similar to obstructive sleep apnea but not necessarily in everyone.

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Under the central sleep apnea umbrella, there is also some different types of central sleep apnea. In particular, there is Cheyne-Stokes respiration

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and then primary central sleep apnea, sometimes referred to as complex sleep apnea.

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Cheyne-Stokes respiration is a specific type of central sleep apnea that we'll see in heart failure patients. Estimated to be 20% to 50% of patients with heart

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failure will have this type of breathing abnormality. Primary or complex sleep apnea is

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thought to be around 10% of patients with obstructive sleep apnea, where people will pause in their breathing oftentimes when