Study: Floppy Eyelids Can Be A Symptom Of Sleep Apnea

Study: Floppy Eyelids Can Be A Symptom Of Sleep Apnea    

This Would Help With The Diagnosis Of This Condition, Besides Fatigue And Headaches When Waking Up    

According to a study, one symptom of sleep apnea might be floppy eyelids, with a lax and rubbery look. This was present in more than half of the patients in the study. The most severe cases of sleep apnea correlated with the most pronounced cases of floppy eyelids. Patients had one of the following conditions: lax eyelid condition (rubbery lids); lax eyelid syndrome (lax eyelids plus conjunctivitis); and floppy eyelid syndrome (lax eyelid syndrome in obese young men). Even though there is not a clear explanation, specialists believe that sleep apnea is associated with low-grade inflammation that affects elastin, a protein that allows skin and other tissues to resume their original shape after stretching or contracting. Many sleep apnea sufferers are undiagnosed because this condition occurs when the patient is asleep, but sometimes it can be identified when there is fatigue and headaches when waking up. Also, the patient might snore due to a partial airway obstruction, but the condition is considered as sleep apnea when there is a total obstruction and the patient ceases to breathe for several seconds. These are interesting news because the usual way to diagnose this condition is via a sleep study, which in some cases might be expensive. Click here for more info.