Prolonged Sleep Apnea in Two Patients with a History of Opium Abuse -A Case Report.

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent sleep-disordered breathing (SDB).

Case Report: Two 53- and 51-year-old male cases with daytime sleepiness and opium abuse and severe sleep apnea and long respiratory events duration (200 and 275 seconds respectively) noted in polysomnography were reported at Ebn-e-Sina and Razavi hospitals, in Mashhad, Iran. After positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy respiratory events resolved and patients' daytime alertness improved.

Conclusion: The long duration of sleep apnea could be the result of opium abuse. Therefore, drug history should be carefully considered in the evaluation of SDB patients. The PAP device was effective in the management of sleep respiratory events and the improvement of patient's complications.