Within the framework of a recent research project, University of Granada researchers will analyze how sleep disorders affect risk perception in driving. Three last-generation simulators provided by the Psychology faculty will be employed. The purpose of the first study will be to analyze how a specific sleep disorder obstructive sleep apnea affects risk perception in driving, as well as the efficacy of the therapies in development to treat it.
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, who will present their findings at the American Thoracic Society’s 2008 International Conference in Toronto on Monday, May 19.
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. Those with an obstructive apnea-hypopnea index of 15 or greater were 76 percent more likely to die earlier. Those with a lower apnea-hypopnea index of 10 were also at greater risk of early death.
Treatment with surgery or an oral appliance that adjusts the jaw is associated with improvements in obstructive sleep apnea, a condition caused by blocked upper airways in which patients periodically stop breathing during sleep, according to two reports in the May 2009 issue of Archives of Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery.
Sleep apnea is most commonly treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. Individuals undergoing CPAP therapy wear a mask at night connected to a machine that increases air pressure in the throat, preventing the airway from closing.
A video imaging technique demonstrates that the soft palate, the tissue at the back of the roof of the mouth, is more elongated and angled in patients with obstructive sleep apnea both when they sleep and when they are awake, according to a recently published report.
“Obstructive sleep apnea is a common form of sleep-breathing disorder characterized by repetitive episodes of partial or complete upper airway obstruction,” the authors wrote in the article. The condition usually causes breaks in sleeping, reduced blood oxygen levels and daytime sleepiness, and may contribute to cognitive (thinking, learning and memory) difficulties, psychosocial impairments, trouble driving, heart disease and death.
Not only is obstructive sleep apnea linked to insulin resistance and liver disease independent of obesity, but at least one risk factor is also common to obesity and obstructive sleep apnea: prolonged daytime sitting or standing. Even when the sedentary lifestyle does not lead to obesity, it may still lead to obstructive sleep apnea and its concomitant health risks, according to a research article in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
“Overnight fluid displacement from legs, related to prolonged sitting, may play a previously unrecognized role in the pathogenesis of obstructive sleep apnea,” wrote principle investigator, T. Douglass Bradley, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Centre for Sleep Medicine and Circadian Biology at the University of Toronto.
Loud snoring with breathing pauses is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and increased health care utilization, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of the journal Sleep.
The study, authored by Marta Novak, M.D., PhD, of the Institute of Behavioral Sciences at Semmelweis University in Budapest, Hungary, focused on interviews with 12,643 Hungarian individuals. Interviews were carried out in the homes of the participants and questions about snoring were asked.
Many patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are obese and therefore at risk of having fatty liver, a condition in which fat accumulates in the liver cells. But the link between OSA and liver injury independent of weight has yet to be examined.
In the first study to examine liver injury in patients with obstructive sleep apnea, researchers led by Lawrence Serfaty, M.D. at the Hepatology Department at Saint-Antoine Hospital in Paris, France tested liver function in patients being evaluated for OSA in order to determine if sleep apnea by itself was a risk factor for liver disease and if so, the mechanism involved.
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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.
