People with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who used machines while sleeping to keep their airways open and help them breathe also experienced improvements in heartburn and acid reflux in a recent study.
OSA causes interrupted breathing during the night and can lead to serious health problems. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machines blow air into the airway via a face mask to prevent it from closing while asleep.
By keeping the airway open, CPAP also helps the valve between the stomach and the esophagus, or food pipe, stay closed and prevents stomach acid from leaking, according to a report published on Wednesday in ERJ Open Research.
Researchers tracked 102 newly diagnosed sleep apnea patients who reported nighttime gastroesophageal reflux symptoms, including heartburn, coughing, and wheezing.
Forty-three were "full" CPAP users, meaning they used the machines for more than four hours per night on more than 20 days per month.
Two years later, only six of the 43 still reported gastroesophageal reflux symptoms. After accounting for participants' other risk factors, full CPAP use was associated with a 42% reduction in risk for persistent nighttime gastroesophageal reflux, researchers said.
"People with obstructive sleep apnea are three times more likely to suffer regularly with night-time heartburn," study leader Thorarinn Gislason of Landspitali, the National University Hospital of Iceland in Reykjavik, said in a statement. "Respiratory symptoms, such as coughing and wheezing, are also more common."
The paper points out that respiratory symptoms in OSA may be at least partly related to gastroesophageal reflux, which can cause airway irritation when the stomach's acid moves up to the throat.
"This study suggests that coughing and wheezing that do not get better with the usual treatments and night-time reflux should also be considered as possible signs of OSA that may require CPAP treatment," Gislason said.
This newsletter was edited by Bill Berkrot. Additional reporting by Shawana Alleyne-Morris.
