Sleep medicine reviews
-
Sleep medicine reviews · Oct 2013
ReviewObesity and obstructive sleep apnea--clinical significance of weight loss.
Obesity is a major health burden that contributes to increased morbidity and mortality. Obesity is also the most important risk factor for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); at least 70% of patients are obese. OSA as such, has been linked with increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and OSA patients often display metabolic syndrome. ⋯ However, regardless of promising results in terms of symptoms of OSA and the undoubted metabolic benefits of changing lifestyles, weight reduction as a treatment of OSA is still underrated by many clinicians. Based on the current knowledge, clinicians should revise their previous attitudes, including suspicions about weight reduction as an effective treatment for OSA patients. Nevertheless, we also need large well-controlled trials on the effects of different weight reduction programs among OSA patients to determine the overall efficacy of different treatment modalities and their long-term success.
-
Sleep medicine reviews · Oct 2013
ReviewObstructive sleep apnoea and schizophrenia--a research agenda.
Schizophrenia is associated with significantly increased physical morbidity and mortality particularly secondary to cardiometabolic disorders. In people with schizophrenia, rates of obesity and the metabolic syndrome are high compared to the general population. Whilst the weight gain secondary to antipsychotic medication is largely to blame, other factors include inactivity, poor diet and possibly the illness itself. ⋯ Available data suggest increased rates of sleep apnoea in schizophrenia and that psychotic symptoms may improve when co-morbid sleep apnoea is treated. Health practitioners may be unaware of the need to screen for sleep apnoea in patients with schizophrenia and the disorder may be significantly under-recognised. Research is required to clarify the epidemiology, consequences and management of sleep apnoea in association with schizophrenia.