Question

Compose a list of 10 questions you would ask Gerald to obtain a clear picture of factors contributing to his sleep apnea. Discuss the rationale behind each.

Answer 1

1 Do you have headaches in the morning?

headaches are most commonly experienced when oxygen level drops due to the intermittent breathing caused by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) Sleep apnea causes air to be trapped in the lungs ,and this de-oxygenated air is the waste product carbondioxide .It build up in the lungs and recycles into blood stream .The lack of oxygen in blood stream result in apnea headaches

2 Do you have the history of hypertension?

because hypertension is extremely common in people who have   sleep apnea

3 Are you ecperiencing fatigue or extreme tiredness in day time?

because of breathing problems patient is not getting a sound sleep ,so they feel extreme tiredness in day time  

4 Do you feel that you have unfreshing sleep?

because of  lack of sleep at night and it conventionally recognized as a peripheral symptom of insomia

5 Have you observed some difficulty to concentrate?

because tiredness and emotional stress can cause concentration problems in most people

6 Do you have family history of apnea?

because sleep apnea is a heritable condition.Inherited traits that increase the risk of sleep apnea include obesity and physical features such as recessed jaw

7 Is there any loud or frequent snoring?

because during sleeping the tissues in your mouth can relax enough that they partially block airway which causes snoring

8 Are you experiencing silent pause in breathing?

the interruption of breathing indicate problem with brain signaling

9 Do you have an experience of walking up grasping or chocking?

because throat muscles relaxing so much and they block patient's airway

10 Are you experiencing nocturia or increased production of urine at night?

It has been hypothesized as a function of atrial natriuretic peptide(ANP)OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA(OSA) causes intermittent occlusion of airway during sleep which leads to a grasping respiratory pattern associated with episodic ,potentially severe hypoxia ..The gasping attempts to draw in a breath against the obstructed airway leads to substantial fluctuation in the intrathoracic pressure ,which reflexive hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction . this ultimately causes the right atrium to secrete ANP (VASODILATOR)which result in increased glomerular filteration rates which leads to increased urine output through natriuresis  

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