hypothyroidism caused obstructive sleep apnea?

carmella382 · Newbie Joined: 21 Oct 2006 Posts: 1

Hello! My sister is forty five. She has two grown up children. She used to be in excellent health till recently. She started to have sleeping disorders. She often wakes up at night to urinate, she sleep restless and sometimes she wakes gasping for air. Our family doctor said it could be sleep apnea and advised her to perform further tests. As I know apnea usually affect obese people and my sister has no problem with her weight. My mother says it could be connected with her thyroid gland. Could hypothyroidism cause obstructive sleep apnea?

bambi1077 · Newbie Joined: 22 May 2007 Posts: 1

Hello! You sister has to perform all necessary tests in order to discover the cause of her sleep disorder. The symptoms you describe are the common symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea, but it also could be something else. It is true that almost 95% of individuals who suffer from sleep apnea are obese. But, your sister may be in other 5%. Hypothyroidism is often under-diagnosed since thyroid deficiency usually causes daytime sleepiness and snoring similar to sleep apnea. Some studies have shown that only a small percentage of apnea patients suffered from hypothyroidism but there is always a chance for your sister to be in that low percentage.

hypothyroidism caused obstructive sleep apnea?

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