There is a high probability of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in non-obese, middle-aged patients, according to a research abstract that will be presented on June 9, 2009, at Sleep 2009, the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies.
Results confirmed that OSA in non-obese patients is most prevalent in middle-aged men with larger neck sizes.
Fifty-four percent (2,906) of 5,426 non-obese patients were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea, and most of them were middle-aged (57 percent). An equal number of patients had mild obstructive sleep apnea (50.4%) or moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (49.6 percent). Male prevalence and neck size were significantly higher in the group with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea.
According to lead author Teimur Yeligulashvili, PhD, clinical supervisor at the SleepTech lab in Wayne, N.J., the researchers were surprised by the fact that no significant differences were found in Epworth Sleepiness Scale results and neck size between OSA-positive and OSA-negative in non-obese patients.
“More than 50 percent of non-obese OSA patients had mild OSA, suggesting that in-lab polysmonography may be more accurate in assessing people in this demographic, as opposed to portable monitoring systems,” said Yeligulashvili.
The study included data from 5,426 non obese patients and 23,157 overweight patients. Data were collected from a total of 28,583 polysomnograms from patients 18 years or older between 2004 and 2008 from 18 sleep centers in the SleepTech network. Patients with body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 27 were considered as non-obese and patients with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of greater than five were defined as OSA positive.
Associations have been found between OSA and serious medical conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and increased risk for mortality.
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.
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.
Signs of not getting enough sleep or sleeping poorly include consistently taking more than 30 minutes to fall asleep, awakening more than a few times or for long periods each night, feeling sleepy during the day, or having trouble concentrating at school or at work.
Keeping a daily sleep log, or diary, can help you track your sleep habits and identify what might be interfering with sleep. You may download a sleep diary. To download files from this site, you need to be registered as a site member to gain access. Once registered, simply login, and then download the files you’re interest in.
Links of interest
Have you had bouts of insomnia lasting two weeks or more? Do you walk around in a constant fog, feeling sleepy, fatigued, and as though you have no energy? Perhaps you “feel” older than you are, or maybe it’s all you can do to stay awake while driving. If any of that, or similar issues are familiar, or if you snore or have disrupted sleep, even if just a few simple, repeat trips to the bathroom during the night, check out these two online tests to help you get to the root of the issue. While they will not make a diagnosis for you, they will help you, your physician, or, more appropriately, a sleep specialist, find out what’s causing you the problem sleepiness.
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