A press release issued by the American Association of Diabetes Educators says that 94 percent of doctors in a survey the organization conducted were aware of the links between the development of type 2 diabetes in people who have obstructive sleep apnea.
Despite knowing about the link, only about 47 percent of the physicians involved in the survey actually conduct routine screenings.
The press release indicates a sleep apnea screening protocol designed to close the gap between theory and practice will be presented at the American Association of Diabetes Educators annual meeting.
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a potentially life-threatening condition which can lead to many health issues, including diabetes, memory loss, cognitive function issues, greater risk for involvement in motor vehicle accidents, greater risk of heart attacks and strokes, depression or moodiness, among other issues. Obstructive sleep apnea alone is believed to affect an estimated 18 million people in the U.S.
According to the press release, at least 30 percent of people who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea also have type 2 diabetes.
Although the majority of doctors and diabetes educators are aware of the close connection between obstructive sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes, the press release continues, little has been done in clinical practice to take the steps needed to diagnose and treat sleep apnea in this patient population.
A growing coalition of health professionals and organizations are supporting calls for screening. The latest organizations to join in the call include:
A recent survey of doctors at the American Diabetes Association meeting found that although 94 percent of doctors recognize a relationship between obstructive sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes, 47 percent of those same doctors do not routinely screen type 2 diabetic patients for obstructive sleep apnea. Results from the previous year’s survey, which had the same questions, demonstrate the trend has not changed over the past year.
The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) issued a June 2008 consensus statement calling for doctors and diabetes educators to begin taking necessary steps to diagnose and treat sleep apnea in people with diabetes, noting that treating OSA can help make in the overall management of type 2 diabetes.
In issuing its call to action, the IDF said it’s imperative for health care professionals to:
- generate awareness about the connection between obstructive sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes;
- conduct research to better understand the links between the two conditions; and
- develop new clinical practices that address treatment.
While many people with obstructive sleep apnea snore loudly and frequently, following by periods of silence when airflow is reduced or blocked, and then come to a conclusion when the person begins to make choking, snorting, or gasping sounds when the person’s airway reopens.
Almost everyone is likely to snore at one time or another, and while most people with apnea snore, not everyone who snores has apnea. It has been found in all age groups. Estimates of snoring vary widely based on how it is defined.
Habitual snoring has been found in about 24 percent of adult women and 40 percent of adult men. Both men and women are more likely to snore as they age. Men, however, become less likely to snore after the age of 70.
Obstructive sleep apnea is best treated by the use of a positive airway pressure device, such as a continuous positive airway pressure device, or CPAP, or a bi-level positive airway pressure device, or bi-level. Some people mistaken refer to all bi-level devices as BiPAP machines, although the word BiPAP is a registered trademark of Respironics, Inc., for a specific line of bi-level devices. The term xPAP is used when speaking of positive airway pressure machines, overall, when one specific type of machine is not being discussed.
Other treatments for apnea exist, though the success rate at eliminating the apneas — especially without surgery — are not close to the almost 100 percent success rate of xPAP devices. They include oral devices, including custom devices made by dentists; surgeries; and an implant that’s been on the market for a few years with mixed comments.
/Health – Sleep Apnea/despite-knowing-of-apnea-diabetes-link-doctors-not-screening/2008-08-27.1022
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