Posted on 11/09/2005 11:01:10 PM PST by NormsRevenge
BOSTON (Reuters) - The common form of sleep apnea, in which the throat closes off throughout the night, at least doubles the risk of stroke or death, a study released on Wednesday showed.
The researchers at Yale University also raised questions about whether existing apnea treatments reduced that risk, the study published in The New England Journal of Medicine showed.
A separate Canadian study also published in the journal concluded that breathing machines used to treat a form of apnea common in people with heart failure do not prevent death or the need for a heart transplant.
About 4 percent of Americans suffer from extreme daytime fatigue because their sleep is disrupted by sleep apnea, forcing them to repeatedly wake up if only for a second. Another 16 percent of Americans have apnea without fatigue.
A seven-year study, led by Klar Yaggi of the Yale University School of Medicine, found that people with apnea were twice as likely to die or have a stroke. The risk more than tripled among volunteers with the worst apnea.
The study involving 1,022 people also showed that the risk persisted even with treatment to keep the throat open during sleep, mostly through a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine. Other study volunteers lost weight or had surgery to ease their symptoms.
REDUCING CARDIOVASCULAR RISK
The results of the study notwithstanding, the machines are still worth it for people with apnea that produces excessive fatigue, Yaggi said.
"We're really treating you to improve how you feel. Walking around exhausted is a just a horrible quality of life," he said.
"But also we now are realizing that sleep apnea is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, for high blood pressure, for heart disease, and also for stroke, and we believe and hope that treating you will help to reduce your cardiovascular risk, much like we would treat your cholesterol or your blood pressure or your diabetes."
The Canadian study evaluated 258 people with central sleep apnea, where fluid in the lungs caused by heart failure makes sleepers hyperventilate, which temporarily prevents the accumulation of enough carbon dioxide to trigger the breathing reflex. In short, people forget to breathe.
About one third of the 5 million Americans with heart failure also have central sleep apnea.
Douglas Bradley of the University of Toronto and his colleagues said they were surprised to find that heart failure patients with apnea who used CPAP machines were just as likely to die or receive a heart transplant as those who went untreated.
In fact, in the early part of the study, people breathing through CPAP machines seemed to fare worse.
Bradley told Reuters that heart failure patients are given the machines to drive water out of the lungs and reduce the work of breathing. They also may help the heart beat more effectively.
Although using the machines during the 5-1/2-year study did not help patients live longer, they did improve the efficiency of the heart and let patients exercise more.
"As long as it didn't cause any harm, those are the kinds of things we look to do when we treat patients with heart failure with other kinds of therapy," said Bradley.
Not to make light of this topic.. It is a very serious condition.
Does every heavy snorer have this?
I'm still up.
You're telling me, I have OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) and it sucks. I don't have one of those nifty CPAPs because they're expensive and my insurance won't cover it because it's not 'medical necessity.' I don't get the extreme fatigue of some sufferers, but I need to sleep anywhere from 12-14 hours to get away from the fatigue. Unfortunately outside of college, there aren't many jobs that allow you to sleep that much and get away with it.
No. Im not sure of exact numbers but while not uncommon,, I seem to recall something like 1 in 5 or so is at risk tho.
I'll see if I can find better numbers than a shot off the hip. If not tonight, tomorrow.
http://www.sleepapnea.org/info/index.html
as many as 12 millions in the US alone..
excerpt from bove link
Sleep apnea is very common, as common as adult diabetes, and affects more than twelve million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. Risk factors include being male, overweight, and over the age of forty, but sleep apnea can strike anyone at any age, even children. Yet still because of the lack of awareness by the public and healthcare professionals, the vast majority remain undiagnosed and therefore untreated, despite the fact that this serious disorder can have significant consequences.
Actually, people without apnea are just as likely to die. In fact, that's just about 100% for everybody.
Seriesly, though, I have sleep apnea, and I use a CPAP machine. Have had one for over seven years now. It does help my breathing, it cuts out my snoring, and I'm not as tired during the day. It's not a complete fix, and it's still a bit cumbersome to use, but I'm better off with it than without it.
On that note, appropriately, I'm off to bed.
It wakes me up once a night. I have to gasp once for breath. It's the pits.
I'm off to bed.
So am I.. actually Im already in bed with a laptop.
My wife and family are all heavy snorers, but none have apnea.. thanl goodness. she says I snore too. I tell her, prove it. ;-)
G'
Nite
all my brothers snored, my dad too, so I am sure I do.. but my cats tolerate me anyway,
PS some of my cats snore too.
G'
Nite
"at least doubles the risk of stroke or death"
So there is a better than 200% chance that I will die? I want my money back.
Work for the State of California. When they try to fire you (assuming they even try) sue under ADA.
It is a very serious condition.
Tell me. I use a CPAP machine
My Ins. covered my CPAP. That is a med necessity
and you need to push the issue.
My pulmonary doc is the chief of sleep disorder of a
major hospital here.
Your doc needs to document this with your ins.
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