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Why so many with Sleep Apnea?
Has anyone wondered why there are so many people with a diagnosis of Sleep Apnea these days - or have a theory as to why? I know I sound a bit conspiracy-theoried, but I am a bit suspicious, as there are an awful lot of sleep centers cropping up. Maybe it is because I am denial about my own diagnosis, but it seems that nearly everyone I meet needs the C-PAP too.
Sorry about my rant,
Becky
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Carl on
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At somewhere around $4000+ for a sleep study, it would be folly to argue with this. What an easy way to make money. And, to top it off, they run 3-4 sleep studies simultaneously, so that's $12,000-$16,000 a NIGHT, with one technician on duty. Anyone care to guess what their profit on that is? If that tech is making 40k a year, they're making a lot - that's about 800 a week or 160 a day. Almost nothing. Then, amortize the equipment over what, 1000 night? Even if it was only 100 nights and the equipment cost $50,000, that would only be $500/night (but that's out of the 4k, not the 12-16k). Then, there's the facility including heat/light/etc. So, in the end, I would be willing to be that more than $3k of that is profit!
So, like MRI machines (which doctors found out are a great way to make money), how many doctors actually own their own sleep lab?
Jan Weiner said:I honestly think Sleep Apnea is a current "IN" medical condition for doctors and sleep labs to make money
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Permalink Reply by James Skinner on
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chris h said:IT sure beats waking up drenched in swett heart pounding feeling like a buss ran you over.
Good description
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I know for a fact it has been a blessing for me. My husband could not sleep at nite because of my snoring.. Since I got my CPAP 10 years ago, he never hears me snoring. I was totally exausted the next day because of lack of sleep. Yes, in my case, it has been one of the best things that ever happen to be, plus my pacemaker, which is also a blessing. Both together, I feel like a 50 year old instead of a 79. It is great and If you have a sleeping problem, run, don't walk to your doctor. E
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Whatever happened to the hippocratic oath and the fact that being a doctor was supposed to be a noble profession, one to help mankind, not just to suck every last penny they can out of people? Making profit is one thing, but I can guarantee you that the amount of money made by a sleep center is, well, disgusting. The procedure simply does not justify the cost.
To say that you must make it lucrative and that machines are needed.... sorry, machines are here. They exist. And they are way overpriced. I checked with my insurance and an O2 concentrator is $250/month. My insurance has negotiated a price for it down to $100 a month. Imagine that. I could purchase this very same machine for $650. So, why does the insurance company not simply purchase it and give it to me? Because it's not in their contract. Yes, that is the exact reason the provided me! They could buy a new machine every 7 months with the money they pay, but they will pay that year in and year out. Makes me want to start a medical equipment company! And don't get me started on the xPAP machines and their cost. I don't know if my ins. company will actually purchase this, but many do, after they are rented for some number of months.
I mean, come on, these costs are just astronomical. And people wonder why health insurance costs so much these days!
j n k said:I agree.
But I believe that is so for a reason.
The only way to attract doctors to the field, attract manufacturers to make machines, and attract DME infrastructure is to make those things lucrative right now.
And doctors, machines, and infrastructure are all needed if there is any hope of treating the estimated 80% of people with the condition who are presently undiagnosed.
People with miserable lives and serious health problems deserve to have better, longer lives. Sleep apnea shortens lives and ruins quality of life. The only way to get any docs/manufacturers/businessesmen to do anything about those problems is to make it profitable for them to do so. That's just the way the world works.
-jeff
Jan Weiner said:I honestly think Sleep Apnea is a current "IN" medical condition for doctors and sleep labs to make money
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My son's weight DOUBLED in less than ONE yr...and the funeral home director told me he had NOT seen a person who had died who had sleep apnea that was not morbidly obese. They had to build a special box for my son..who was a sleek handsome young man at 210lbs..but at death he was 427.
Kath Hope www.hope2Sleep.co.uk said:Wonderful story Straw Berri, and thanks for sharing. Also, fantastic that you've changed your career to help people as a result of almost losing your hubby. Totally agree with you re the weight issue too, and if people stopped being told their weight is causing their apneas rather than the other way around, more people might be willing to seek a diagnosis without guilt.
straw berri said:
straw berri said:Hi Becky,
Many of my patients have the same concerns as you...but I take the time to share my husband's story, which I hope you will read.
http://www.sleepguide.com/forum/topics/strawberris-apnea-story?xg_s...
And to comment about one of the other replys....there is an age old debate about obesity and how it relates to OSA. After much research, I explain to most people - it's a common belief that a person gains weight and then develops the symptoms of OSA, but after being in sleep medicine for over 5 years....I believe the weight gain is a result of OSA...there are many links to reseach this....just go to Google and type in weight gain + OSA or obesity and OSA...there are arguments on both sides...but like I said...I have heard many more say they gained weight after the sleeping problems began than vice versa.
Marcia
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Bex,
I appreciate your question. My brother was diagnosed and refuses to get tx because he thinks his dx is incorrect and it's a fad. In any event, I was beginning to think I had early Alzheimer's before my diagnosis but now my memory is much improved with the CPAP machine and I wake up without feeling groggy. I have been using it for 4 or 5 months, and was hoping for more positive changes ... especially some weight loss after working out and trying to eat better. Alas, that hasn't happened yet ... not more than a few pounds anyway. Thanks to Ink and others for their responses. Bex, hope you feel some improvements soon!
Best,
Janie
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Permalink Reply by RChatty on
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Perhaps it's the same thing as "When you get a new car, you all the sudden notice everyone else has one just like it". I never even thought of CPAP's until I needed one, and now I go around and talk to other people who also have them. I wouldn't talk to them about it unless I also had one. On this forum, there are a lot of people with sleep apnea, but did you ever think that, Why would they be here if they didn't have sleep apnea?
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I agree. The trend has just started here, and Sleep Centers are appearing like flies on garbage. I suspect that part of the reason is that Doctors who are "sleep specialists" also have an interest or outright ownership of these sleep centers, probably through Corporations with other Doctors. I think you are right to smell a rat!!
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I have a couple of theories:
1. Being overweight don't help: remember, we have an epidemic of overweight people now.
2. Maybe, we have had these many cases in the past, but the medical community, and public were uneducated, or under educated about it. Kind of like domestic violence, fibromyalgia, child abuse...see where I'm going?
3. The cpap machines were reserved for the hospital setting and worse cases only. The technology is finally catching up, and making the machines small enough, common enough, and numerous enough to take home. They are now simple to operate, and you don't need medical degree just to safely turn it on and use it.
4.Also, there was very little "Testing" for OSA, so it was usually undiscovered until another disease/problem was being evaluated/treated. Your friends/loved ones didn't see a commercial and put 2 and 2 together.
5. In the past, people "Died in their sleep," and that was accepted as just that. "Natural Causes," was a common refrain, and the autopsies were reserved for obvious deaths like homicide/suicide etc.
6. Genetics may play a part in the larger numbers. As more people with the disease are surviving and having children, the odds of having a partner with OSA contributing those genes increases too.
7. Remember when you got your first car, and all of the sudden you noticed that that same car was all over the place?
Could that be a little bit of it? Your perceptions have changed?
8. Cpap is used in a very private place, in the bed room. How much more private can you get than that? Who knows how many used the machine, but didn't talk about it? Try to remember back to how many people you know who complained about a loved one or room mate snoring so loudly they, "rattled the windows." That's one of the signs of OSA.
**These are just my own personal theories, somewhat based on experience as an R.N. with a specialty in Neonatal Intensive Care, since way back when Nurses wore those pointy hats.
I don't think you're conspiracy-theoried or overly suspicious. Take charge of your medical care, the days of the doctor being a God who was to be obeyed without question are over. (Nothing personal Doc's)
Assemble a "Team" to take care of all your medical issues, and be careful. You are right about sleep centers/clinics that pop up all over the place, medicine is big business now. Since you are online now, do your research and make an informed decision about whom ever you choose to take care of you. If you have doubts about a doc/clinic, go somewhere else.
There is only one you, stop denying your disease so you can begin modifying your life to deal with it. I'm tired of waking up with a headache from lack of oxygen when I don't wear my mask, how 'bout you? If you don't find a mask you can live with, get a different one, new masks are developed every day. I now use a full face mask, (kinda like a fire man,) and even though I have claustrophobia, It works good because I can see my T.V. as I fall asleep, and there's nothing stretching out my nostrils or a chinstrap.
Sorry I'm so long winded, hope I helped a little. justjude
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Permalink Reply by Ronald Antonio on
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Sleep apnea is not a new disease. First note that the vast majority of people diagnosed with "sleep apnea" have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) where soft tissue of the airway obstructs the flow of air and causes disturbed sleep. The other, less common, is central apnea where the signals from the brain do not stimulate the respiratory muscles to breath. In either case, the interruption in breathing causes blood oxygen levels to drop and our organs do not do well in an oxygen deficient environment. This is probably why they would say that uncle Bob "died in his sleep." People had been slowly dying as the heart muscle sustained injury upon injury over many years of breathless sleep.
The ability to diagnose and treat OSA with positive pressure (CPAP), to keep the airway open, has not only extended the lives, but improved the quality of life for many who otherwise may have died prematurely. For example poor sleep hygiene has been associated with hypertension, insulin production and diabetes, heart disease and stroke, and CPAP improves the quality of sleep for many people either preventively or those who have suffered these illnesses.
Having said all of that, the diagnosis and treatment of this disease has been turned into a source of revenue and sleep centers have popped up everywhere. This is not to say that they are unnecessary. The obesity epidemic in America is also a contributor to the number of people diagnosed with OSA. It remains more prevalent among men than women and the frequency increases over age 40.
In the final analysis, unless someone with OSA actually uses their CPAP, the problems caused by this sleep disorder will lead them to a statistical end, only now instead of people saying that they died in their sleep we know that their poor sleep hygiene hastened their demise.
Sorry about my rant
Ron
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Permalink Reply by Chris on
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I know wht you mean. I fell the same way. I think that once you find out about it then you are aware of it and thats when you start to realize other people have the same problem.
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Permalink Reply by Jeffrey Donaldson on
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Probably a lot of factors are involved. More recognition by the medical world that sleep apnea really exists, looking for the causes of other medical issues points them in this direction now that it is more widely recognized, but I would say that the physical condition of humans, especially Americans would be one main reason. There are a whole bunch of overweight people around now, me being one of them. I've known quite a few people that have apnea and every one of them, except for one real skinny guy were quite overweight.
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