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Five years ago, the term sleep apnea seeped into the layman’s vocabulary to describe what one local company bills today as a major public health threat and leading cause of death.
Like a religious crusader, Australia-born Chief Executive Officer Peter Farrell of ResMed Inc. travels the globe in pursuit of spreading the message.
“It’s the major cause of hypertension, which is the major cause of stroke and heart failure, which is the major cause of death in this country,” said Farrell, whose company makes devices to be worn at night by those who have breathing troubles during sleep.
In obstructive sleep apnea, a sufferer’s throat briefly collapses, causing the person to stop breathing for 10 to 20 seconds at a time or longer. The disorder can make one feel as though he or she hasn’t slept all night, which can cause the person to fall asleep at work, or worse , at the wheel.
ResMed’s research estimates that 20 percent of the world’s population suffers from the disorder, with 90 percent either not realizing they have it or not being treated.
Overweight
Most people who have the condition are overweight and male, according to the National Institutes of Health.
With the huge global market potential , $17 billion a year, says Farrell , the competition among firms that sell the breathing equipment is getting fierce. Competitors include Tyco Healthcare Group, Respironics and Fisher
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