Essay On Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

1. Introduction

The fact that some people stop breathing during sleep has been identified for years. Breathing can be difficult at times when patient have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, also called COPD. It might be even harder when patient represent with sleep apnea at the same time. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and sleep apnea are most common chronic respiratory disorders in clinical practice (Marrone et al., 2006; Zamarrón et al., 2008). Both disease may affect sleep quantity and quality of life. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is identify as the fourth major killer illness within the United States (Sullivan et al., 2000) and most of the developed countries, and it is also number one cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide (Mannino

While people with sleep disorder realize that they snore, and have morning headaches and poor concentration. It’s not surprising that some people would be expected to have both conditions by chance while not knowing it, particularly those that didn't seek medical attention. Once patient co-exist with both illnesses, this condition is known as overlap syndrome. This term was originally proposed by Flenley in 1985 to refer to the concurrent presence of a syndrome caused by continual episodes of airway obstruction throughout sleep, or sleep apnea, and of chronic respiratory diseases [Amra et al., 2011]. Among the patients with the overlap syndrome, Flenley observed mainly COPD patients, at one time referred to as blue bloaters [Amra et al., 2011]. The correlation between COPD and sleep apnea has been well researched across the world. Although the incidence of sleep apnea is not higher for COPD patients, it has not been clear whether or not COPD and the sleep apnea are related. Current study will aim to understand and evaluate relationship between chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and sleep apnea, what are common symptoms and risks for both diseases if leave untreated in