Many people use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) devices to treat sleep apnea or similar conditions. CPAP machines provide a steady stream of air that keep a person’s airways open, ensuring that they do not stop breathing while they are sleeping. These devices can provide numerous benefits, including helping people avoid the risks of heart conditions, ensuring that they get enough rest while sleeping, and improving their overall health.
Unfortunately, a large number of CPAP users have learned that the products that were meant to benefit them may have put them at risk of injury. A massive recall of CPAP machines is currently being performed by Philips Respironics. The recalled devices contained a type of foam composed of polyester-based polyurethane, and the breakdown of this foam over time may have led foam particles and hazardous chemicals to be inhaled by users. These substances have been associated with multiple forms of cancer, including throat cancer and esophageal cancer.
Throat Cancer Symptoms and Treatment
Cancers of the throat may affect the windpipe, the voice box and vocal cords, the pharynx (the passage connecting the back of the nose to the beginning of the windpipe), the tonsils, or other parts of the head and neck. Tumors may form in the cells lining the throat, and they can result in symptoms such as difficulty swallowing, sore throat, persistent coughing, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, hoarseness when speaking, pain in the ears, weight loss, and wheezing or other breathing problems.
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