CPAP therapy and cerebrospinal fluid leak
I've come across a few articles lately linking CPAP therapy and cerebrospinal fluid leak. That's when it seems like you have a runny nose but actually it is your brain fluid leaking out from your nose. It gets worse if you are leaning forward or standing up. One if the triggers/causes of CSF leak is the air pressure from the CPAP machine.
Has anyone else come across such reports? I do not know enough to judge how accurately they reflect the impact of long term use of CPAP therapy. It is said to be a rare condition but the thought of my brain leaking out through my nose is rather alarming. Any thoughts?
RE: CPAP therapy and cerebrospinal fluid leak
It's always a good idea to include a link from the article.
RE: CPAP therapy and cerebrospinal fluid leak
RE: CPAP therapy and cerebrospinal fluid leak
I couldn't access all the articles, but two were reports on one patient, and two were about associations with obstructive sleep apnea, not CPAP treatment for apnea.
RE: CPAP therapy and cerebrospinal fluid leak
Thanks for posting the links.
Have you actually been diagnosed with CFS? A runny nose could happen for other reasons.
One article suggests CFS could be caused by a head injury. Has your Doctor suggested a fix (surgery) to repair this leak?
One take-away I got from the articles is that using Cpap with high pressures can aggravate the problem. If you know that you suffer from CFS, you should discuss this with a knowledgeable doctor.
I'm not giving you medical advice, just advice from the links you posted.
RE: CPAP therapy and cerebrospinal fluid leak
Thanks OpalRose. But no. I have no problems myself. I came across the topic by chance and wondered if it's old news that everyone knows about except me. I have never heard of the condition. I searched the forum but haven't seen any threads on this. I'm just curious. It's just that it's rather alarming if this is actually one of the effects of CPAP therapy however rare. But I couldn't tell from googling the issue whether it's correlation or causation or, as is so often in the medical field, that "more studies are needed."
RE: CPAP therapy and cerebrospinal fluid leak
Thanks BobbieM! Good to know you aren't suffering with this.
I've never heard of it either and it sounds scary. I wonder how many folk go to their doctor with symptoms and are not properly diagnosed?
From what I've read, it's not likely that Cpap use causes it, but can aggravate an already existing condition.
