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Three Children with Birth Defects: Deb Ramacher's Story "During my sleep study when I was diagnosed with OSA (obstructive sleep apnea), I learned that my airway became blocked repeatedly, all night long, for up to 90 seconds during REM sleep." --Deb Ramacher Deb Ramacher first called the Dream Doctor show on August 11, 2005. She had been listening to the radio on Minneapolis and St.Paul's FM 107 as I talked about the dangers of sleep apnea, a life-threatening sleep disorder caused by collapse of the human airway during sleep. I explained that the repeated collapse of the airway deprives the body of oxygen during sleep and puts snorers at twice the risk for heart attack, stroke, and hypertension, among other complaints, compared to non-snorers. Deb stated that she had been a "famous" snorer ever since she was a teenager, and that her loud snoring was eventually diagnosed as severe Obstructive Seep Apnea (OSA) in 2002. "My snoring was driving my husband crazy," she said, "and a friend, who was also nurse, told me I needed to have it checked." During her sleep study Deb was diagnosed with OSA (obstructive sleep apnea), and learned that her airway closed repeatedly during the night, and for up to 90 seconds during REM sleep. But when Deb called the radio show, she had a different question on her mind:
All of Deb's children were born before she was diagnosed with apnea and before she received treatment. Deb's Children:
Chelsea Ramacher, Age 15, was born at 39 weeks with Epilepsy and Pervasive Development Disorder, which is a mild form of autism. Deb experienced pre-eclampsia (pregnancy-induced hypertension) prior to birth, that caused her doctors to induce delivery of her baby.
Maya Ramacher, Age 9, was born at 33 weeks (water broke at 32 weeks) with Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, and Cognitive Disability. An MRI test that was performed showed significant damage to the white matter in the brain that occurred in utero, and severe atrophy of the corpus callosum. Deb experienced placenta abruptia at ten weeks with Maya, and was ordered to remain on bed rest for 5-6 weeks, during which time the abruptia repaired and pregnancy proceeded. Deb also experienced significant bursting of blood vessels in her fingers and toes during this pregnancy - a sign of abnormally high blood pressure.
Michael Ramacher, Age 7, was born at 31 weeks (water broke at 29 weeks) with Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, Cognitive Disability, Verbal Apraxia, Microencephalitus, damage to the white matter in his brain and with a brain hemmorage at birth or thereafter that caused grade 3-4 intraventricular hemmorage. Deb wanted to know if the severe oxygen desaturation that occurred because of her sleep apnea was responsible for the birth defects in her three children. I told Deb that to the best of my knowledge, very little research had been done about the risks of sleep apnea suring pregnancy, and frankly, I was stunned. Research studies have documented that men and women with sleep apnea are at twice the risk for heart attack, stroke, and high blood pressure when compared to non-snorers. Yet pregnant women with sleep apnea - who would suffer a clear risk of damage to the fetus due to oxygen deprivation - had not been studied. Over the course of the next week, I undertook a mission to learn what information existed about the risks of sleep apnea during pregnancy -- for both the mother and the fetus. I contacted several sleep doctors and OBGYNs, and on August 17, 2005, I called Deb back and we talked once again on the radio. The doctors I'd spoken with all agreed that OSA presented an obvious risk to the health of the fetus during pregnancy. Yet not one doctor knew of any research that had been done investigating it. I promised Deb I would continue my research. As I dug deeper, I soon learned that various doctors and professional organizations had occasionally warned about the probable injury to the fetus that sleep apnea during pregnancy could cause. (Please see What is SAPS?, and also Pre-existing Medical Studies.) But the comments were few and far between. Also, no one had ever worked to bring the risks of sleep apnea during pregnancy (SAPS) to the general public, or to the members of the medical community who could really make a difference, OBGYNS. In the meantime, the preliminary evidence gathered in my research was compelling. 37 doctors writing in major medical journals had already stressed the risks of OSA during pregnancy. These risks included:
Based upon this preliminary evidence, these medical doctors were already making recommendations:
The evidence was clear. Women with sleep apnea during pregnancy were at increased risk for complications in pregnancy and for birth defects. There was no time to lose, and subsequently my mission statement for the SAPS project was born: The Saps Project: Mission Statement Next: Does Your Family History Put You at Risk?  | |||||||
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