American Thoracic Society

Oct
9
2009

Being overweight super-sizes consequences and risk of sleep apnea and sleep-disordered breathing

Overweight individuals are not just at greater risk of having sleep-disordered-breathing, they are also likely to suffer greater consequences, according to new research. According to the study , published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, excess weight increased the severity of oxygen desaturation in the blood of individuals with SDB during and after apneas and hypopneas.


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Oct
28
2008

Even mild sleep apnea increases cardiovascular risk

People with even minimally symptomatic obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease because of impaired endothelial function and increased arterial stiffness, according to a study from the Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine in the United Kingdom.

“It was previously known that people with OSA severe enough to affect their daytime alertness and manifest in other ways are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but this finding suggests that many more people — some of whom may be completely unaware that they even have OSA — are at risk than previously thought,” said lead author of the study, Malcolm Kohler, M.D.


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Oct
7
2008

Tools sheds light on snoring, cognitive deficits in children

About two-thirds of children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) — snoring or obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) — have some degree of cognitive deficit, but the severity of the cognitive deficit has been notoriously difficult to correlate to the severity of the sleep-disordered breathing, suggesting that other important issues may be at play, or that the right factors were simply not being measured.

A study published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine opens the door to understanding the complex relationship between sleep, breathing and brain function in a whole new way.


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May
21
2008

Earlier death among stroke victims with apnea

Stroke victims who have obstructive sleep apnea die sooner than stroke victims who do not have sleep apnea or who have central sleep apnea, according to Swedish researchers.

The researchers followed 132 stroke patients over 10 years. Twenty-three of those patients had obstructive sleep apnea; 28 of those patients had central sleep apnea.


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May
21
2008

Obstructive sleep apnea is health factor from childhood: study

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in very young children may cause some of the adverse cardiovascular health consequences seen in older children and adults with the condition, according to Israeli-based researchers, who presented their findings this morning at the American Thoracic Society’s 2008 International Conference in Toronto.


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May
20
2008

Treating sleep apnea may lower blood pressure

Researchers found that patients with obstructive sleep apnea, who were compliant with their CPAP therapy, experienced an average 2mm/Hg drop in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure at the end of the year when compared to patients who did not use the CPAP machine.


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May
19
2008

Apnea-related cognitive issues may be treated with green tea

People with obstructive sleep apnea have been reported to have increased markers of oxidative stress and exhibit architectural changes in their brain tissue in areas involved in learning and memory. Chronic intermittent hypoxia in rats produce similar neurological deficit patterns.

“Obstructive sleep apnea has been increasingly recognized as a serious and frequent health condition with potential long-term morbidities that include learning and psychological disabilities,” wrote David Gozal, M.D., professor and director of Kosair Children’s Hospital Research Institute at the University of Louisville, lead author of the article.


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May
20
2007

Start school later in the morning, sleepy teens tell school administrators

A survey conducted at a high school in the Philadelphia area, conducted by a a team comprised of one of the school’s students and her father, a sleep specialist, to learn what sleep-deprived teens thought of starting school days later in the morning, as well as having tests given later in the school day which may result in better grades.

The survey of 280 high school students confirmed what most parents with a teenager know: the students are not getting enough sleep. More sleep would translate into improved academic performance, according to the teens questioned. They all attended Harriton High School in suburban Philadelphia, where the school day begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends at 2:25 p.m.


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May
23
2006

Sleeping less than 7 hours a night linked to weight gain

Women who sleep five hours or less per night weigh more on average than those who sleep seven hours, according to a study. The study demonstrated that women who slept for six hours were 12 percent more likely to have major weight gain and six percent more likely to become obese compared with women who slept seven hours a night.

Other findings from the study showed women who slept for five hours per night were 32 percent more likely to experience major weight gain (defined as an increase of 33 pounds or more) and 15 percent more likely to become obese over the course of the 16-year study compared with women who slept seven hours.


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Interesting Apnea Statistics
~~ Apnea in United States ~~

As of May 2, 2009 at 9:47 p.m. (-0500) (ET), the U.S. population
was 306,340,710. Sleep researchers estimate approximately seven percent
of the population suffers from obstructive sleep apnea. Using that
estimate, there are potentially 21,443,850 apneics in the U.S.

~~ Apnea around the world ~~

As of May 2, 2009 at 9:47 p.m. (-0500) (ET), the world population
was 6,777,286,604. Sleep researchers estimate approximately seven percent
of the population suffers from obstructive sleep apnea. Using that
estimate, there are potentially 474,410,062 apneics in the world.