Sleep apnea cases soar in past decade - Marine Corps News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Marine Corps Times

Sleep apnea cases soar in past decade

Active-duty cases of obstructive sleep apnea — a condition that causes people to stop breathing as they sleep — have increased nearly 600 percent since 2000, with the biggest jumps coming after the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Data from the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center show that 3,563 active-duty members had the disease in 2000, while 20,435 were diagnosed in 2009.

The majority of those cases were in service members older than 40, but rates went up for all age groups — almost four-fold for those ages 20 to 24, from 414 cases in 2000 to 1,599 in 2009.

The disorder can be especially troublesome because treatment involves the nightly use of a continuous positive airway pressure machine, which requires electricity. About 15,400 combat troops were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea in the past decade.

Several things may contribute to sleep apnea, including obesity, smoking, being male, aging and even neck circumference. It’s also associated with other respiratory issues. Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have also reported respiratory problems and sleep apnea after being exposed to enviromental hazards in the war zones, including open-air burn pits. Sleep disorders, as well as respiratory issues, have been linked to toxic exposures, such as smoke inhalation.

Symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea include snoring, daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, and choking or gasping while sleeping. It has been linked to vehicle accidents, neurocognitive impairment and cardiovascular disease.