Asthma may add to sleep apnea risk
Link between two breathing conditions strengthened in study
By Nathan Seppa
People with asthma are more likely than nonasthmatics to develop obstructive sleep apnea and are roughly three times as likely to develop apnea accompanied by daytime sleepiness, a long-term study finds. The report, in the Jan. 13 JAMA, solidifies a link between the two breathing disorders.
Past studies have linked the two conditions, but apnea is notoriously underreported because it strikes when the individual is asleep. It remains unclear whether asthma can cause sleep apnea.