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Continual Nose and Throat Infections - CPAP Playing a Part?
I replaced my old Resmed S5 with an S7 and had it set properly - for the first time! - by Harefield Hospital Respiratory Clininc. (Quick plug - their team is superb; best I've encountered in 10 years of papping).
However, I seem to have had non-stop throat and nose infections since last August when I got the new m/c set-up.
Has anybody else experienced this with CPAP?
I have no allergies - hay fever, rhinitis etc - so that route's closed. What I am experiencing is basically a non-stop cold with runny nose, sore throat and the occasional chesty cough.
I don't have humidification. Is that the answer? I wake in the morning typically with a very dry mouth. Would a humidifier help with that? Does having a dry mouth make one more susceptible to infections?
Does having air blown into one's nose under pressure ensure that any nasties in the airstream get blown further into the nose and possibly past whatever defences humans are supposed to have against air borne disease?
Any answers gratefully received.
Views: 56
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by 99 on
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first off you have a dry mouth because you sleep with your mouth open
secondly drink more water to hydrate your defences
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Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
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Humidity may help. What have your doctros said about this problem? Have you seen an ENT?
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Permalink Reply by Mary Z on
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I thought I posted this, but maybe not.
Brian, there was a long thread a while ago called My CPAP/Sinus Infection, followed by Folow uo on my CPAP/Sinus Infection by Susan McCord. If you can't find it lets us know and we'll dig it out. You can also go to Susan's member page and look at her discussions and find it there. It's on the third or fouth page of discussions.
Mary Z.
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Permalink Reply by Brian Smith on
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Thanks for all those taking the trouble to reply. I didn't think of looking for "sinus" so didn't find the previous posts.
Couple of questions arising out of responses so far:
Is not having a humidifier unusual/is having a humidifier the norm?
Do people honestly clean their m/c every day?
Is a dry mouth always an indicator of sleeping open mouthed? I use a nasal mask so you can see why I might be concerned...
I sometimes record myself overnight using an Olympus digitial recorder (just to check up on things) and provided I use my m/c I get no noise at all all night long. So I'm not sure about the open mouth thing. Surely this would lead to snoring?
I have used CPAP for 10 years and never cleaned it every day - probably no more than once a quarter if that - and I have never used a humidifier but have not experienced any chronic colds/sore throats etc until last Autumn.
I am seeing my GP this week and I'll update this post with whatever he has to say.
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Most people have humidifiers. Not having one could be the cause of your dry mouth. Opening your mouth could be part of the problem. How often you clean your equipment is up to you. After all it is an extension of you. I would clean mine everyday especially if I was sick. Just to keep you from recycling those germs.
When was your last sleep study? It is recommended that you be re-evaluated every 2 to 5 years.
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