Psoriatic Arthritis and Sleep Apnea

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Hi all i’m new so pls bear with me. My husband (44) has just been diagnosed with PA after suffering from psoriasis for 12yrs. He’s due to start on methotrexate. Hopefully that will help him as he’s really struggled the last few months. Something that didn’t occur to me at his consultation has been playing on my mind. Recently, say last 2 months, he’s been waking up in the night with coughing/ gasping fits. Sometimes they are so bad he’s almost sick. I’m thinking it might be sleep apnea, though I know that often goes undetected by the patient- could it be something different? Does anybody else get this? He does snore badly, but the snoring hasn’t changed since the onset of the choking/gasping. We will ask his doctor at the next consultation but I just wondered if anyone could relate to this?
Keep up the daily fight folks, huge respect,
Jo

[Deleted User]

Hi Jo,

No need to bear with, you’ve got it perfectly. It’s lovely when we chat to loved ones helping their partners with arthritis.

I’ve not had the experience re choking/gasping in ones sleep.

Here’s our info on sleep and arthritis

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/managing-symptoms/sleep/

I would definitely mention it to the med team, is your appt soon? If not your husband have a rheumatology nurse phone number? If so it would be worth a ring to them.

Do join in any areas of the forum where you feel comfortable, and invite your husband along too

Take care
Yvonne x

dreamdaisy

Hello, I have too have PsA but without the P (so it took years for me to be accurately diagnosed). I developed asthma aged seven and was born with eczema so all this is just more of the same. I am a snorer because I am a mouth-breather (when you're gasping for air you get more in that way) and had many years of blocked nostrils thanks to severe hay-fever and year-round rhinitis (I was born long before inhalers and anti-histamine tablets were invented) but sleep apnoea is not an issue. I am not aware of sleep apnoea being connected with arthritis, once we receive a diagnosis it is tempting to link everything else that happens to the disease but crud keeps happening regardless. An Indian sage once remarked 'The body itself is a disease.' How true.

My healthy husband used to wake regularly with coughing-to-the-point-of-being-sick fits which was eventually diagnosed as severe acid reflux, he is now sorted with omeprazole and my constantly reminding him not to breathe in so much air when eating and to chew every mouthful at least thirty times.

I think it best for you both to go and see your GP, he is the initial port-of-call. Remember that GPs know a little about a lot but he should be able to refer you to a specialist if there are grounds for concern. Whilst waiting for the appointment it may be worth you two keeping a sleep diary, noting factors such as dietary intake, how often be wakes and how long for, what kind of snoring he does and anything else which may seem relevant (do you have pets, for example?). I wish you both well and hope you find an answer, please let us know how you get on. DD

stickywicket

i think your husband should see his GP. We all tend to attribute stuff to either the arthritis or the meds and forget that we are subject to other stuff going wrong just as much as the next, non-arthritic, person.

I've never heard anyone suggesting that sleep apnea is connected to arthritis and, of course, until he sees a GP, you can't be sure that that's what it is.

DD's explanation of her husband's problems sounds very similar. I have GORD, with silent reflux (ie I'm blissfully unaware of it and of the damage it's doing to my oesophagus) and have to severely curtail my eating and drinking for 2 hours before I go to bed. Even so, I often need gaviscon in the night.

Please get him to see the GP. It might be very simply resolved.