What Is Apnea?
3. Causes of Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Causes of OSA can be divided into genetic, structural, and nonstructural factors. For structural factors, it involves the anatomy of the face and head that may increase the likelihood for OSA.
For example, when there is posterior facial compression, facial elongation, mandibular hypoplasia (small jaw), retrognathia (abnormal positioning of the maxilla or mandible) or micrognathia (undersized jaw), adenotonsillar hypertrophy (increased size of tonsils), high arched palate, deviation of the nasal septum, polyps, tumors, and more. Studies have shown that these abnormalities are a significant cause of OSA for nonobese patients. Nonstructural risk factors include obesity, alcohol use, sedative use, smoking, supine sleep position, hypothyroidism, stroke, neurological issues, and more.
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