What is CSA?

CSA stands for central sleep apnea.

The sleeper whose problem is central sleep apnea (CSA) periodically doesn’t breathe at all so oxygen intake is ineffectual.

Treatment of CSA is more challenging because the signal to the body to inhale is not being transmitted from the breathing center in the brain, or not received by the body. Sleep experts report that the great majority of central apnea sufferers also experience OSA although the CSA may not be noted until the OSA is treated. In some cases, the sleeping CSA sufferer displays a periodic shallow breathing or under-breathing that alternates with deep over-breathing, a condition known as Cheyne-Stokes breathing (CSB) Estimates vary as to the frequency of central sleep apnea. Some say it accounts for 20 percent of all cases of sleep apnea.

The symptoms of central sleep apnea are for the most part the same as those of obstructive sleep apnea. They include chronic fatigue, daytime sleepiness, morning headaches and restless sleep. But if the cause is a neurological disease, the CSA sufferer may also experience difficulty swallowing, voice changes, and an overall sense of weakness and numbness. A thorough sleep study with polysomnography will show whether the lapses in breathing result from airway blockage or irregular breathe signals from the brain.

CSA frequently occurs among people who are seriously ill from other causes: chronic heart failure; diseases of and injuries to the brainstem; the upper terminus of the spine; which controls breathing; Parkinson’s Disease; stroke; kidney failure; even severe arthritis with degenerative changes to the cervical spine and base of the skull. It is also seen among users of opiates. And there is idiopathic CSA, which simply means the cause is unknown. Read more in our Source