This week I was proud to co-host the launch of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Sleep Apnoea with Professor Ram Dhillon, Ear Nose and Throat UK and Lord Bilimoria in the Houses of Parliament, and supported by members including Ruth Cadbury MP (Brentford and Isleworth) and cross-party colleagues from across the Commons and the Lords.

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea (OSA) is a serious debilitating medical disorder and according to the Sleep Apnoea Trust, 13% of men and 6% of women between the ages of 30 – 75 in the UK have OSA. It is a condition where your breathing stops and starts while you sleep. The most common form is obstructive sleep apnoea, which is like being choked while you sleep as your windpipe is blocked, affecting oxygen levels in your body. The most common symptom is snoring – but not every snorer suffers from obstructive sleep apnoea.

Obstructive Sleep Apnoea disproportionately affects men, postmenopausal women and certain minority and marginalised communities. An estimated 5% of the population have OSA (3.5m people) – rising to 8% for BAME communities. It has significant consequences, being associated with obesity, diabetes, dementia and stroke. Due to daytime sleepiness, there is loss of productivity and increased risk of road traffic accidents. Research suggests that sleep disordered breathing (OSA) also leads to a build of of brain beta-amyloid and Tau protein which are key markers for Alzheimer’s disease.

Left untreated for 12 years, which is common, 15% of individuals will have a heart related fatality and 33% have a medical catastrophe that leaves them requiring long term health and social care. The personal and healthcare costs run into £100s of millions. Identification and initiating NICE (National Institute of Health & Care Excellence) recommended management can reverse the OSA and make a huge difference in managing the long term risks to a patient’s health.

We know that Hounslow has a higher than average incidence of diabetes, strokes, obesity and A&E admissions for people living with dementia – so further diagnosis and awareness of sleep apnoea could make a real difference to health in our local area. That’s why I am writing to our local NHS leaders to discuss awareness and diagnosis of this condition in the local area which in time could help reduce the severity of these conditions in people affected who might otherwise go undiagnosed.

There is an easy treatment for sleep apnoea – a CPAP machine, which is free on the NHS. But waiting times for treatment can be up to two years, which must be addressed.

Making sure that sleep apnoea is diagnosed early will save millions in downstream consequences and improve quality of life for sufferers.

That’s why we’re launching this group, which has been coordinated with ENT UK, the national organisation for ENT surgeons who deliver a major proportion of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea care, and in particularly led by the work of Professor Ram Dhillon and Michael Oko. We very much hope the work of this group could make a positive difference in preventing ill health and improving the quality of life for many local residents and for many across the country.