CPAP machineto help breathing with coronavirus

[Dilly1234]

I’m new here.. I’m over 70 with reduced lung capacity/pulmonary hypertension. Worried about the effects of covid19 I wonder if there would be any benefit in using my CPAP machine to assist my breathing if I get the virus. The CPAP machine is to prevent sleep apnoea and just pumps air (not oxygen) into a face mask..

[CDreamer]

Good question - I also use CPAP sometimes during the day if I struggle. Sorry I have no answer.

[Bagrat]

Will be interested in any replies as wondered if it would help my husband who also has sleep apnoea with other heart issues

[CDreamer in reply to Bagrat]

When my Mg was at it’s worst I had several occasions when I though I was going into a breathing crisis so husband immediately rang GP who talked him through how to put on my CPAP and told him to give me my medication anyway he could get it down me - crushed up pills into yogurt. Within about an hour I was back to normal so my reasoning is this:-

My understanding is that COVID19 itself does not cause the breathing issues. It sparks an inflammatory immune reaction in the upper respiratory tract which then restricts the airway - I assume excess mucus production will ensue. Now I’m dealing with this issue at the moment after a mild virus I caught early December and at the moment I am needing my CPAP more than ever because not only does it assist breathing at night, it seems to help clear the mucus.

The only time I was told NOT to use CPAP was at the beginning of a cold or suspected viral infection.

Perhaps this is a question for ResMed?

I am of the view that it may well be that we with CPAP machines may turn out to be the fortunate ones if we are unfortunate enough to catch the virus and begin to struggle with breathing so it’s the first thing I’ll turn to as only the very, very sick will be hospitalised and on respirators.

I will go ask on the ResMed site and perhaps post on Sleep Matters where many more use CPAP.

Usual proviso - am only sharing my thoughts and experiences, not offering medical advice.

[JudyMarieC in reply to CDreamer]

Interesting post but what is Mg?

[CDreamer in reply to JudyMarieC]

Myasthenia gravis - it literally means severe muscle weakness and is autoimmune response which kills off acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter) & their receptors - which signals your muscles - both voluntary and involuntary - to work. For me it affects my eyes & face worst - then bulbar muscles -chewing and swallowing - then breathing, neck and arms and finally legs.

It affects everyone differently and there are variations of the disease all Myasthenias are categorised as part of the Muscle Dystrophy family.

Treatment is to take very strong immune suppressants or removal of the thymus gland to halt the progress of the disease + a drug called Pyridostigamine which gives temporary relief from symptoms for about 3-4 hours.

Mg may also be linked to arrythmias as about one third of myasthenia also have some sort of arrythmia but it is a very rare condition and best estimates are about 12-14 thousand people affected in the UK so is considered a very rare disease.

Some people are affected very mildly and live everyday lives whilst others need immediate action and put on a respirator to stay alive. I have what is termed medically moderated Mg which means most of the time I can function at least some of the time. Thankfully I have so far avoided hospitalisation but I’ve had a few close calls.

[JudyMarieC in reply to CDreamer]

Thank you for your explanation. Stay well!