The Thompson Rivers University Respiratory Therapy program invites the public to a talk by Dr. Richard Smyth, Sleep Apnea – the elephant in the bedroom – the dragon in our health planning, on Thursday, March 6 at 7pm in OM2621.
According to Dr. Smyth, thousands of Canadians suffering from sleep apnea and don’t know it. The absence of a good night’s sleep comes with serious health risks. Nearly 20 per cent of the population over 40 years old is affected by obstructed sleep apnea (OSA). This “elephant in the bedroom” is a serious disorder that causes breathing to stop repeatedly during sleep sometimes hundreds of times during the night and often for a minute or longer.
“It is relatively simple to diagnose, and in general not difficult to treat. Its victims are troubled with a variable degree of daytime drowsiness, causing a greatly increased rate of road and work accidents, and reduced quality of life,” said Dr. Smyth who has been a practicing ear, nose and throat surgeon for twenty years, and for the last seven years has specialized in sleep surgery.
At TRU, second-year Respiratory Therapy students gain valuable clinical experience at the TRU Sleep Clinic by assessing patient’s physical conditions and health histories and by monitoring patient sleep habits. For those diagnosed with OSA the most effective therapy is a Continuous Positive Airflow Pressure (CPAP) unit, a mask worn at night that forces air through the airway. It’s an advantage for the approximately 100 patients that access the Sleep Clinic each year to be able to try CPAPs before making a purchase from a private company.
The cost of untreated OSA in Canada, what Smyth calls “the dragon in our health planning”, is likely well over $500 million. Yet the condition remains approximately 80 per cent undiagnosed, and its cornerstone treatment, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), is not covered by the medical plan in BC and other provinces.
For more information please contact:
Les Matthews,
TRU Sleep Clinic Coordinator,
828-5434
Contact: Les Matthews,
TRU Sleep Clinic Coordinator,
(250) 828-5434
