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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2005 >> Sleep apnea and CH
        
(Message started by: jmfarmer on Dec 13^th, 2005, 3:34pm)

Title: Sleep apnea and CH
Post by jmfarmer on Dec 13^th, 2005, 3:34pm

Anyone have any information on a connection between sleep apnea and CH? Ive been diagnosed with it after my wife noticed I quit breathing while I sleep during cluster periods.
Sorta makes sense....apnea causes lack of oxygen, oxygen helps CH.
Appreciate any feedback.
p.s Ive had episodic CH for 30 years. Only thing that works is imitrex. Have ordered kudzu to try. Currently take 240 mg. verapamil daily.

Title: Re: Sleep apnea and CH
Post by unsolved1 on Dec 13^th, 2005, 5:42pm

It has been said that as many as 80% of clusterheads have sleep apnea. A CPAP may or may not help with CH attacks. (It didn't help me and I couldn't stand to wear all that stuff while trying to sleep)

UNsolved

Title: Re: Sleep apnea and CH
Post by E-Double on Dec 13^th, 2005, 7:35pm

http://www.med-owl.com/clusterheadaches/tiki-index.php?page=Apnea

Title: Re: Sleep apnea and CH
Post by Bob_Johnson on Dec 14^th, 2005, 8:34am

: Headache. 2004 Jun;44(6):607-10.

Obstructive sleep apnea and cluster headache.

Graff-Radford SB, Newman A.

The Pain Center, Cedars Sinai Medical Center and UCLA School of Dentistry, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.

A patient with cluster headache often wakes from sleep. The relationship to sleep apnea has been described. This study sought to confirm the relationship cluster may have with sleep apnea. METHODS: Thirty-nine consecutive patients diagnosed with episodic cluster headache according to the International Headache Society (IHS) criteria were sent for polysomnographic studies. All patients were in an active phase when they were in the study. Patients were told of the proposed relationship and were allowed to choose a sleep laboratory close to their home. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients with episodic cluster headache completed an overnight polysomnographic study. Twenty-three were male and eight female. The average age was 51 years (range 33 to 78 years). The average weight was 173 pounds (range 117 to 260 pounds). A total of 80.64% had sleep apnea (25/31). Average respiratory depression index (RDI) was 19.0 (SD 14.6) with 6 patients having no apnea, 10 having mild, 11 having moderate, and 4 having severe apnea (RDI < 5 = none; RDI 5 to 20 mild; RDI 20 to 40 moderate; RDI > 40 severe). Oxygen saturation decreased on average to 88.4% SD 4.5. Sleep efficiency was 76.2% (SD 13.4). CONCLUSIONS: The data closely approximate those of Chervin et al, where 80% had RDI > 5. The relationship sleep apnea has in the perpetuation or precipitation of cluster headache is still to be determined. There are some reports that treatment stops the cluster but there is no prospective study. The high incidence (80.64%) seen in this population suggests the cluster patient should receive a sleep evaluation and perhaps intervention with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or an appropriate dental device.

PMID: 15186306 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Title: Re: Sleep apnea and CH
Post by brewcrew on Dec 16^th, 2005, 9:15pm

I was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea in Dec. 2001, and almost right away I started to think about the connection between blood oxygen levels and CH (I was diagnosed with CH in 1992). My apnea doc and I were both hopeful that this might help curb the night hits, but alas it didn't. At least at first.

In the last two years or so, my incidence of night hits has gone way down, but so have the number and intensity of all of my cluster hits. Not sure if this is due to honing my meds or treatment of my apnea, but I'm not complaining. Personally, I don't think there's a connection between the two, and I think there are too many other variables to show that there might be a connection (age, meds, in-patient DHE treatment a year and a half ago).