COPD is making news with many designations like "Silent killer" or "Common Killer You Aren't Aware Of" or "The 3rd most killer disease" and many more. COPD is the cost our lungs pay for living in urban areas and smoking.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) also holds reputation in causing a myriads of complications in all vital organs if untreated. Though the cause of OSA is not as well understood as COPD but treatment causes good response and prevention of complications.
COPD is breathing disorder while OSA is a sleep related breathing disorder. The presence of OSA in COPD patients not only makes the symptom worse but also increases the chance of death in COPD patients. COPD & OSA overlap has been aptly said to be a "A Deadly Duo".
Understanding of both the diseases and their co-existence is vital in treatment of such patients. Diagnostic tests for both the diseases are simple and widely available. Screening of OSA can be done with Epworth sleepiness score online by anyone while COPD can be diagnosed with Pulmonary function tests. Defeating the two devils together is difficult but not an impossible job.
Giving a chance to patients to breathe without difficulty is not an impossible feat. It can be achieved by patient education, doctor's attitude and proactivity to diagnose and treat both the diseases together.
