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Fluctuating oxygen levels while sleeping
Hello Doctor, My mom's oxygen flucatuates too much during sleep, like it even falls to 65 and then again rises up after few seconds and goes back to normal, and the same pattern follows for most of the resting period at night. When she is not resting, her oxygen level is normal ranging from 94 to 98, but at night, the situation drastically changes. Pulse rate remains normal during sleep, ranging from 57-82( it varies night to night). She was recently diagnosed with covid but she don't feel any shortness of breath or something like that. Also, these days, after recovering from covid, she sleeps too much in 'deep sleep' state and dosen't wake up when her oxygen drops. I am suspecting that she already had sleep apnea but the situation got worse after covid! So, can you please help me out here and let me know what might be the actual cause for it? Thanks and stay safe
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From the description of your symptoms and that her weight is 82 kg for a height of 5'2" it is highly likely that she has sleep apnea with a high BMI. Only a sleep study / overnight oxymetry can evaluate the severity of her sleep apnea. However since she had recently recovered from Covid, it makes it all the more important to assess your mom with the appropriate investigations to make the accurate diagnosis albeit one of sleep apnea is made. For now treat the drops in O2 saturation as due to Covid infection and get her reassessed if need be with a HRCT.
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Consult a pulmonologist and also get a sleep study if possible
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R u sure she has recovered from covid ? ... Did she get a negative rtpcr ? ... Plz don't self diagnose and treat ... There is something called happy hypoxia in which pt will not feel any symptoms apart from if oxygen saturation drops then become drowsy ... Plz consult a physician and don't treat it as sleep apnoea
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physician consult
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You should consult physician ASAP. Decreased oxygen level should not be avoided.
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Prone position Steam inhalation
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Disclaimer : The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding your medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.