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Causes of Apnea

Introduction: Apnea

There are many causes of apnea. These include airway obstruction in the upper or lower airway. A nasal blockage can cause an airway obstruction in newborn babies, because they are generally nose breathers. Loss of muscular tone with decreased consciousness may cause upper airway obstruction as the posterior tongue displaces into the oropharynx.

Other causes of upper airway obstruction include sleep apnea, strangulation, vocal cord spasm and having edema or blood, mucus, vomit or other substances in the airway. Diseases that cause severe inflammation in the throat, such as epiglottitis or croup can also cause airway obstruction, leading to apnea.

Lower airway obstruction followed by apnea may also occur from aspiration, bronchospasm, pneumonia, pulmonary edema and drowning.

Apnea can also result from a decreased or absence of respiratory effort due to diseases disorders or conditions that affect the nervous system, which controls breathing. These include drug overdose, carbon monoxide poisoning, cyanide poisoning, stroke and severe head trauma. Other neurological causes include spinal cord injury and neuromuscular diseases, such as myasthenia gravis, poliomyelitis and Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Apnea can also result from apnea of prematurity. Apnea can also be due to severe cases of pneumothorax, asthma, COPD, pulmonary embolism, drowning, and pulmonary edema. Apnea can also result from a serious anaphylactic reaction that leads to anaphylactic shock.

In addition to the respiratory system, apnea can occur as a symptom of diseases, disorders and conditions of other body systems. For example, in the cardiovascular system, apnea can be a symptom of end-stage congestive heart failure or a severe heart attack.

Apnea can accompany end-stage shock. Apnea can also be due to a variety of traumatic causes, such as chest trauma that results in a collapsed lung or hemopneumothorax.

Causes of Apnea:

The following medical conditions are some of the possible causes of Apnea. There are likely to be other possible causes, so ask your doctor about your symptoms.

Apnea of prematurity
CNS depression due to sepsis
CNS depression due to drug effect
CNS due to respiratory syncytial virus
CNS depression due to postictal state
Seizures
Respiratory muscle failure due to myotonia
Respiratory muscle failure due to infantile botulism
Upper airway obstruction
Enlarged adenoids
Trauma
Septicemia
Meningitis
Pertussis
Bronchiolitis
Sudden infant death syndrome
Increased intracranial pressure
Prenatal asphyxia
Meconium aspiration syndrome
Surfactant deficiency
Maternal narcotic use (transfer across placenta)
Maternal beta-blocker use (transfer across placenta
Cyanotic congenital heart disease (see Cyanosis)
Pulmonary edema
Asthma
Bronchospasm
Chronic bronchitis
Foreign body aspiration
Hemothorax
Pneumothorax
Mucus plug
Obstruction by tongue
Obstruction by tumor
Obstructive sleep apnea
Secretion retention
Tracheal rupture
Bronchial rupture
Brain abscess
Brain stem injury
Brain tumor
Central nervous system depressants
Central sleep apnea
Cerebral hemorrhage
Cerebral infarction
Encephalitis
Head trauma
Pontine hemorrhage
Medullary hemorrhage
Medullary infarction
Transtentorial herniation
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Botulism
Diphtheria
Guillain-Barré syndrome
Myasthenia gravis
Phrenic nerve paralysis
Rupture of the diaphragm
Spinal cord injury
Adult respiratory distress syndrome
Diffuse pneumonia
Emphysema
Near drowning
Pulmonary fibrosis
Flail chest
Open chest wounds
Arrhythmias
Cardiac arrest
Myocardial infarction
Pulmonary embolism
Pulmonary hypertension
Shock
Airway obstruction
Brain stem dysfunction (see Brain symptoms)
Neuromuscular failure
Parenchymal lung disease
Pleural pressure gradient disruption
Pulmonary capillary perfusion decrease

Conditions listing medical symptoms: Apnea:

The following list of conditions have 'Apnea' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.

Select from the following alphabetical view of conditions which include a symptom of Apnea or choose View All.

View All A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U W Z #

Symbols

1q deletion ... apneic spells

A

Aberrant subclavian artery abnormality ... apnea
Acute meningitis ... Apnea
Anemia, Neonatal ... apnea
Arnold-Chiari malformation type 3 ... apnea
Aromatic amino acid decarboxylase deficiency ... apneic spells
Auriculo-condylar syndrome ... apnea

B

Bacterial meningitis ... Apnea
Brun's syndrome ... apnea

C

Campomelic dwarfism ... apneic spells
Campomelic dysplasia ... apneic spells
Campomelic Syndrome ... apnea
Chemical poisoning -- Ammonium Chloride ... apnea
Chemical poisoning -- Barium ... apnea
Chemical poisoning -- Camphor ... apnea
Chemical poisoning -- Pyrimidifen ... apnea
Chemical poisoning -- Strychnine ... apnea
Chemical poisoning -- Tetramethylammonium Hydroxide ... apnea
Chemical poisoning -- Vinyl Choride ... apnea
Chromosome 13 trisomy syndrome ... apnea
Chromosome 1q deletion ... Apneic spells
Congenital disorder of glycosylation type 1F ... apnea
Congenital disorder of glycosylation type 2B ... apnea
Congenital herpes simplex ... apneic spells
Convulsions, benign familial infantile, 1 ... apnea
Convulsions, benign familial infantile, 3 ... apnea
Convulsions, benign familial infantile, 4 ... apnea

D

Decreased oxygen saturation ... apnea
Dialysis encephalopathy syndrome ... apneic spells
Disopyramide toxicity ... apnoea

E

Eucalyptus Oil poisoning ... apnea

F

Funnel Web spider poisoning ... apnea

G

Gaucher disease -- perinatal lethal form ... apnea
Gaucher disease type 2 ... apnea episodes
Gustavson syndrome ... apneic spells

H

Hyperglycinemia ... apnea
Hypertension in children under one year ... apnea

I

Idiopathic alveolar hypoventilation syndrome ... apnea
Illum syndrome ... apneic crisis
Inborn amino acid metabolism disorder ... apnea
Infantile convulsions and paroxysmal choreoathetosis, familial ... apnea

J

Joubert Syndrome ... apnea

L

Leukoencephalopathy, arthritis, colitis, and hypogammaglobulinema ... apnea
Leukomalacia ... apnea

M

Malformations in neuronal migration ... apnea
Metabolic disorders ... Apnea
Microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism types 1 and 3 ... apnea

N

Necrotizing enterocolitis ... apnea
Neonatal bacterial meningitis ... apnea
Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome ... periods of apnea
Neonatal sepsis ... apnea
Non-ketotic hyperglycinemia ... apnea

O

Organic acidemia ... apnea

P

Perinatal-lethal Gaucher disease ... apnea
Pitt-Hopkins syndrome ... apneic spells
Pontocerebellar Hypoplasia Type 6 ... apnea
Pseudoadrenoleukodystrophy ... apnea

R

Rett's syndrome ... apnea

S

Severe achondroplasia with developmental delay and acanthosis nigricans ... apnea
Stiff baby syndrome ... apneic spells
Streptococcal Group B invasive disease ... apnea
Stuve-Wiedemann dysplasia ... apnea
Stuve-Wiedemann syndrome ... apnea
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome ... Apnea
Surfactant Metabolism Dysfunction ... apnea
Surfactant Metabolism Dysfunction, Pulmonary, 1 ... apnea
Surfactant Metabolism Dysfunction, Pulmonary, 2 ... apnea
Surfactant Metabolism Dysfunction, Pulmonary, 3 ... apnea

T

Tonic seizure ... apnea
Trisomy 13 mosaicism ... apnea

W

Whooping Cough ... Non-breathing periods (apnea)

Z

Zanoli-Vecchi syndrome ... apnea

Conditions listing medical complications: Apnea:

The following list of medical conditions have 'Apnea' or similar listed as a medical complication in our database. This computer-generated list of complications may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.