Cameron presents with complaints of morning headaches and excessive daytime sleepiness
Cameron is a 45-year-old male who presents to general practice with complaints of excessive daytime sleepiness and disruptive snoring, as reported by his partner. He reports waking up frequently throughout the night feeling breathless and sometimes has morning headaches.
His partner has told him he snorts and makes choking sounds. Cameron reports difficulty concentrating during the day and feeling fatigued despite getting what he perceives as a full night's sleep.
His medical history is significant for obesity (BMI 32 kg/m²). He also has hypertension, and type 2 diabetes mellitus, both of which are well-controlled with medication. He denies any history of tobacco or excessive alcohol use.
What are Cameron's symptoms suggestive of?
Based on Cameron’s clinical presentation, including loud snoring, excessive daytime sleepiness, morning headaches, and comorbidities such as obesity, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus, there is high suspicion for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
The next step in the evaluation would be to conduct a sleep study to confirm the diagnosis and assess the severity of the condition. There is strong evidence that people with untreated moderate to severe Obstructive Sleep Apnoea have other health problems. These include increased risk of high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, diabetes, depression, and accidents.
Referral for a sleep study is indicated in this instance.
Related courses
Maximising Male Health: Healthy Living and the Sleep Advantage webinar
Engaging Australian males in healthy lifestyles podcast
References
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Australasian Sleep Association. (2020). Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in Adults. Retrieved from https://www.sleep.org.au/documents/item/1130
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Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand. (2019). Position Statement: Diagnosis and Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in Adults. Retrieved from https://www.thoracic.org.au/documents/item/1882
Associate Professor Tim Moss BSc PhD is Health Content Manager at Healthy Male and holds an adjunct appointment in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University. He is listed among the top 2% of most influential scientists of all time in the field of obstetrics and reproductive medicine.
Tim joined Healthy Male in 2020 after 25 years of working in academia and medical research. Tim learned science communication at the Alan Alda Centre for Science Communication and the School of Journalism at Stony Brook University, and the SciComm Lab in the Department of Engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
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