Researchers have said that moderate to severe obstructive apnea (SOA) has links with increased risk of stroke, cancer and death. After conducting a 20-year follow-up study, the researchers reached at the conclusion that people with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea were more likely to die. Not only this, they were four times more likely to have a stroke, three times more likely to die from cancer and 2.5 times more likely to develop cancer.

Apnea is not an uncommon disease and the impact it has on public health greatly increases the risk of strokes, cancers and mortality from any cause, said lead author Nathaniel S. Marshall, PhD, senior lecturer in clinical trials at the University of Sydney in Australia.

As many as 397 adults participated in the study. With the help of a portable home sleep testing device, objective sleep data were gathered in 1990. The researchers did not include participants with a history of stroke or cancer.

For moderate to severe OSA, prevalence rates were 4.6% in comparison to 20.6% for mild OSA. There were about 77 deaths and 31 strokes during the 20-year follow-up period, in addition to 125 cancer events that included 39 fatalities.

"Men are more likely to have it than women, but the ratio evens out a bit after menopause. Having large tonsils, an underactive thyroid or facial abnormalities are other risks, but at least 90% of our patients are overweight", said Dr. Scott Rosenberg, a sleep specialist at Penn Jersey Pulmonary Associates in Woodbury.

Dr. Rosenberg said anyone can develop sleep apnea, including children. About 18 million to 22 million Americans in varying degrees are affected by sleep apnea, said the National Sleep Foundation. However, the National Sleep Foundation has reported that almost 80% of these people go without diagnosis, which increases the chances of a stroke, developing cancer or death.