Death could occur from untreated OSA due to lack of oxygen to the body. There is increasing evidence that sleep apnea may lead to liver function impairment, particularly fatty liver diseases (see steatosis). It has been revealed that people with OSA show tissue loss in brain regions that help store memory, thus linking OSA with memory loss. Using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), the scientists discovered that people with sleep apnea have mammillary bodies that are about 20% smaller, particularly on the left side. One of the key investigators hypothesized that repeated drops in oxygen lead to the brain injury. The immediate effects of central sleep apnea on the body depend on how long the failure to breathe endures. At worst, central sleep apnea may cause sudden death. Short of death, drops in blood oxygen may trigger seizures, even in the absence of epilepsy. In people with epilepsy, the hypoxia caused by apnea may trigger seizures that had previously been well controlled by medications. In other words, a seizure disorder may become unstable in the presence of sleep apnea. In adults with coronary artery disease, a severe drop in blood oxygen level can cause angina, arrhythmias, or heart attacks (myocardial infarction). Longstanding recurrent episodes of apnea, over months and years, may cause an increase in carbon dioxide levels that can change the pH of the blood enough to cause a respiratory acidosis.
complications of Acromegaly
complications of Graves' disease
complications of Hashimoto's thyroiditis
symptoms of Congenital adrenal hyperplasia
medical diagnosis of Hyperparathyroidism
medical cause of Hyperthyroidism
medical cause of Hypothyroidism
complications of Hyperparathyroidism