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Pimp C's death could sound alarm about dangerous sleep disorder
A decade ago, the sleep partner, houseguest or relative who snored like an 18-wheeler with a bad tank of gas likely was the butt of many jokes.
"But today, more people know that it's no laughing matter," said Dennis King, a registered sleep technologist and respiratory therapist at Sleep Lab of Texas in Beaumont. "It can be a sign of something very serious."
Loud snoring is a tell-tale sign of sleep apnea, a common sleep disorder in which breathing stops or becomes very shallow for up to 30 seconds. Normal breathing resumes with a snort or choking sound.
The Los Angeles County coroner revealed Monday that sleep apnea was a factor in the death of rapper Chad "Pimp C" Butler. The Port Arthur native was found dead in his room Dec. 4 at the tony Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood. He was 33.
Sleep apnea also played a role in the death of NFL legend Reggie White, who died in 2004 at age 43.
In Butler's case, the coroner's office found elevated levels of promethazine with codeine, a prescription cough syrup, in his system.
The cough syrup, coupled with the sleep apnea, created a set of circumstances that proved to be deadly for Butler.
Dr. Qamar Arfeen, a pulmonary critical care physician and sleep specialist in Beaumont, said patients with sleep apnea are advised against using narcotics and even are cautioned to drink alcohol in moderation.
"Narcotics make sleep apnea worse," Arfeen said. "They worsen the breathing difficulties and they can also cause the throat tissues to numb and block the body's ability to breathe in. The body feels like it is being choked."
Arfeen said when a person stops breathing in sleep apnea, the oxygen levels drop and soon, there's no oxygen going to the heart or the brain.
This can cause pulmonary hypertension that worsens over time or even a stroke or sudden heart attack, Arfeen said. Johnny Lovoi, a Beaumont pharmacist, said he rarely sees prescripitions for promethazine with codeine.