Two obese cases of sleep apnea syndrome, whose elevated hematocrit was normalized with continuous positive airway pressure

We presented two obese male patients with sleep apnea syndrome, whose elevated hematocrit was normalized with continuous positive airway pressure. The first case was 28 years of age with the BMI of 48.2, who was diagnosed as sleep apnea syndrome associated with obesity hypoventilation syndrome. The patient had been treated successfully with positive airway pressure for the past 11 years thereafter without cardiovascular morbidity. The second case was 44 years of age with the BMI of 31.5, who was transferred for the transient loss of consciousness and convulsion. The patient was diagnosed as cerebral venous thrombosis with sleep apnea, which was treated successfully with positive airway pressure subsequently. In both cases, the initially elevated hematocrit (>50%) was normalized with continuous positive airway pressure. The increase in hematocrit in sleep apnea syndrome, the mechanisms of which might be complicated, could be a risk not only for the arterial but also venous thromboembolism in apnea patients, and it should be mentioned among the practitioners.