Sleep Study - Apnea - concerns?

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SleepApnea

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I am unsure where to start with this and have some concerns related to sleep apnea.

Currently I have a Class 2 Medical and have no medical issues or concerns.

My wife (a nurse) has noticed that I snore a lot more than usual - and is concerned about me having sleep apnea - and I decided to go get checked out. My allergies have been bad this year and I have had some general stuffiness. So I started with an ENT (otolaryngologist) specialist at the local hospital. He ordered some bloodwork to check out what am allergic to - and did an examination. He said I had a slightly deviated septum. Fixing it may not resolve any of the general stuffiness related to my allergies. My snoring he was not sure about - said my BMI is no concern (am on the skinny side) although I do have a fat tongue (his words!) that might be causing me to snore.

Had my annual physical and shared my concerns with my doctor. Told me to start a daily dose of claritin to see if it helps - but with winter almost here - there has not been much difference over the last few weeks. Flonase was another recommendation. He is ok with me getting a sleep study machine to take home in a month or so. My concerns:

Do I have to report this sleep study to FAA/At next medical?
If I do have apnea, am I grounded? How does that work?

What do I need to know/do?

Thanks!
 
I'll leave the initial reporting and other paperwork requirements to the experts. I'm not sure how that first time application works, it's different now than it was when I started.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is generally handled through a Special Issuance that goes in 6 year increments. Every year you need to generate a status report from your doc and get the reports out of the machine - you will have a medical that expires every year, but you renew it each year with these reports. On your normal Class 2 schedule you'll get your physical AND the reports, and you'll get another medical good for the next 12 months. After 6 years, you'll get another letter from FAA extending the SI for another 6 years.
 
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So far it sounds like you haven't had a sleep study otherwise you would either have an OSA diagnosis or not. Just report the visits to the Doc as you usually do on the form. Sounds like at a minimum you need to check the hay fever box too. Sounds like a non-issue so far...
 
My view is, you don’t have a disqualifying condition until such time as you are diagnosed with OSA. Then you have to self ground until you go through the SI process.

paging Dr. Bruce... pickup on line 1.
 
So that was a very confusing OP post. You had a sleep study (finally admitted in the last part). What was the result, and was it paid for through insurance?
 
bbchien said:
So that was a very confusing OP post. You had a sleep study (finally admitted in the last part). What was the result, and was it paid for through insurance?
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Yes, it was a long post. But I did not want to exclude any details. My doctor is OK with me getting a sleep study - I have not gotten one yet. IF I get one, should I report it... regardless of the outcome.

I am fairly certain my insurance will pay for the sleep study.
 
Used to snore like a dump truck. Had my tonsils removed. No more snoring. Raw vegetables used to make my throat itch and ever since they got yanked that hasn't been an issue either. Having them pulled as an adult wasn't fun. That whole ice cream thing is a damn lie!
 
Racerx said:
Used to snore like a dump truck. Had my tonsils removed. No more snoring. Raw vegetables used to make my throat itch and ever since they got yanked that hasn't been an issue either. Having them pulled as an adult wasn't fun. That whole ice cream thing is a damn lie!
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Very similar to my experience. I only regret not having them removed years earlier.
 
So, to the OP, if your AHI (on a home study) is 5.0 or greater they will want you treated with CPAP. If less then you don't have it. Actually if the AHI is 5.0-14.9 it is ambiguous but NOT NEGATIVE. At that point you ask for the real deal, the in house sleep study with vidwo.

If you are diagnosed and are treated you will need
30 day use report, a bar graph with each day plotted separately (>75 of countable nights have to show > 6 hour's (Not 4) use,
31 day letter form the sleep doc:

Appear well rested,
no complaint of daytime sleepiness,
appear refreshed and
ON CLINICAL exam no stigmata or Rt Heart Failure

If you have all that These get issued FIRST TIME right in the office.
 
I have a 2nd class medical and I have a special issuance due to sleep apnea. No problem with it other than the extra things I have to do every year to present to my AME.

This is just my personal opinion with having to deal with this. If I never had any issues that seemed to come from lack of sleep, I would never get a sleep test because someone was concerned just because I was snoring. In my opinion there is no reason to be concerned if I have no actual symptoms of sleep apnea while awake. I had a severe case. Falling asleep during the day, even while driving. But if I snored, and everything was normal, no way I would get a sleep test since obviously it is not impairing in any way. Like I said, my opinion, and maybe not politically correct aviation wise. If there is evidence of a problem fine, but snoring in and of itself is not evidence. It's how you are when awake that matters.
 
Brad Z said:
FWIW, just about everyone who goes in for a sleep study seems to come out with an OSA diagnosis.
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That may have something to do with physicians using clinical predictors, formal, or just gestalt, which is pretty good for an experienced clinician. In the general male population 1/4 to 1/3 of men will have an apnea and hypopnea index above 5, the diagnosis of OSA in adults, as Dr. Chien qualified. The incidence is increasing, as people are getting bigger. The incidence of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is lower, but is somewhat subjective. CPAP is highly effective in treating OSA, most surgical procedures are less effective, some even ineffective, but appealing to many as they rightly or wrongly are put off by the CPAP machine.
 
Brad Z said:
Do you by chance know the percentage of OSA diagnoses versus persons submitting to a sleep study?
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That is a selected "referred" population. Depends on the prevalence in the community. For example in Fargo it would be lower than in Iowa city.

The prevalance is available at the NCHS- it's about 5% of adults nationally (BMI 30 and below), but if you look at the curve from BMI 30 -->40, the prevalence goes form 5% right on up to 95%.

I suppose the agressiveness of the local healthcare system matters, as well, hiding out as a "quality mandate".

B.
 
The prevalence of obesity (BMI greater than 30) in the US is about 40-45% (about a 30% increase in prevalence since 2005). The incidences of OSA (and diabetes) have both increased concomitantly.
 
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