Understanding Sleep Apnea, by Dr. James Murtagh

In the United States, more than 18 million people– nearly 1 in 4 men, and almost 1 in 10 women–are affected by sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by shallow breathing, or pauses between breaths that last anywhere from a few seconds to more than a minute. These gaps in normal breathing may occur as often as 30 times in an hour. Sleep apnea is typically a chronic disorder, and in more than half of the cases, it’s never diagnosed. Underdiagnosis contributes to 38,000 deaths a year from medical complications associated with the condition, which increases the chance of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and obesity.

There are three kinds of sleep apnea: obstructive, central, and mixed. Obstructive sleep apnea is the most common variety, caused by a blockage that occurs when soft tissue around the throat collapses and closes off the airway. Central apnea, which is responsible for less than five percent of all sleep apnea, occurs when the brain does not properly signal the muscles that control breath during sleep, causing breathing to stop and start throughout the night. Mixed sleep apnea is a combination of obstructive and central apnea.

Overweight men over the age of 40 are the most likely to be diagnosed with sleep apnea. Overweight individuals sometimes store extra fat in the neck area, restricting the width of the airway and increasing the chance of becoming constricted during rest. In addition to lifestyle adjustments, including weight loss if necessary, sleep apnea sufferers may benefit from surgery and treatment aids like supplemental oxygen and mouthpieces.

Based in Cincinnati, Ohio,  Dr James Murtagh is Medical Director of Eastgate laboratory, operated by SleepCare Diagnostics.

Sleep Apnea Testing – What Causes Sleep Apnea

sleep apnea test center of a local hospital. posted at signal94.blogspot.com (Click Image to View: Sleep Apnea Testing - What Causes Sleep Apnea Video)

Video Posted by mysleepapneatest

About Dr. James Murtagh!

Dr. James Murtagh MD

A board-certified specialist in pulmonary and internal medicine, James J. Murtagh, MD has been a recognized leader in his field for the last 25 years. Dr. James Murtagh currently utilizes his extensive experience as a staff physician at the Fayetteville, Arkansas-based Veterans Affairs Medical Center. In addition to pulmonary and internal medicine, Dr. James Murtagh is also a demonstrated expert in critical care and sleep medicine with experience at leading universities and hospitals, including the University of Michigan, Emory University, and the National Institutes of Health. James Murtagh, MD began his medical career at the University of Michigan Medical School. An honors graduate, Dr. James Murtagh continued his post-doctoral training as a medical intern at Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, Texas. At the conclusion of his one-year internship, Dr. James Murtagh began a two-year residency in internal medicine, after which he earned his board certification from the American Board of Internal Medicine. In his next position, Dr. James Murtagh returned to his alma mater to begin a clinical fellowship in critical care and pulmonary medicine. Dr. James Murtagh followed his clinical fellowship with a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Working within the Laboratory of Cellular Metabolism at the NIH sponsored National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Dr. James Murtagh served in the two-year position of Medical Staff Fellow. After his two-year fellowship, Dr. James Murtagh remained at the Laboratory of Cellular Metabolism in the position of Senior Staff Fellow. Dr. James Murtagh next took on academic responsibilities as an Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at Emory University, where he would eventually earn tenure. Distinguished among his peers, James Murtagh, MD is a widely published medical author with a number of awards to his name. In 1993, Dr. James Murtagh was one of six “eminent scientists” honored with an appointment to the advisory board of the Boehringer-Mannheim Corporation, now Roche Diagnostics Corporation, one of the world’s foremost healthcare companies.