Sleep medicine
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Insomnia and Obstructive Sleep Apnoea Hypopnea Syndrome (OSAHS) are the two most common sleep disorders, and both have significant associated health costs. Despite this, relatively little is known about the prevalence or impact of insomnia in those with OSAHS, although a recent study suggested there may be substantial comorbidity between these disorders [Chest 120 (2001) 1923-9]. The primary aim of this study was to further explore the prevalence of insomnia in OSAHS. A secondary aim was to assess the effect of factors that may impact on both conditions, including mood and sleep-beliefs. ⋯ Overall these findings suggest that comorbidity of insomnia in OSAHS patients may lead to increased OSAHS severity and that patients with both conditions may experience more symptoms relating to depression, anxiety and stress. These findings underscore the need for insomnia assessment and management services, even in clinics that primarily service patients with OSAHS.
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To assess prevalence, severity, and predictive factors of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in an Asian population. ⋯ OSA causes EDS in the majority of patients. Severe snoring, higher sleep efficiency and increased total arousals in polysomnography seem to predict EDS.
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Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is far more common in males than females. The discrepancy between the lower prevalence of OSA, the greater frequency of obesity and the smaller airway size in women compared to men suggests that a gender difference underlies this condition. We hypothesized that due to differences in tissue linkage women have more stable and less mobile upper airway structures than men, providing protection against severe forms of OSA. ⋯ Men tend to have a larger but more collapsible airway during mandibular movement than women and this, in part, may play a role in the positional dependency and severity of OSA in men.
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To determine useful cutoffs on the Sleep Apnea scale of the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire (SA-SDQ) in an epilepsy population. ⋯ The SA-SDQ is a useful screening instrument for OSA in an epilepsy population. Our results indicate that the previously suggested cutoffs for OSA (36 for men and 32 for women) may be too high for this specific population. We suggest screening cutoffs of 29 for men and 26 for women.
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(a) To determine if self-reported diabetes mellitus is independently associated with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB); (b) to determine if diabetes mellitus is specifically associated with central sleep apnea including periodic breathing (Cheyne-Stokes breathing pattern) during sleep. ⋯ The authors concluded that diabetes mellitus is associated with sleep apnea but that this association is largely explained by risk factors in common for both disorders, most notably obesity. After adjusting for confounding factors there was no difference between diabetic and non-diabetic participants with regard to obstructive events. However, even after adjusting for potential confounders, there was a greater prevalence of periodic breathing in diabetic subjects. Although not reaching statistical significance, there was a suggestion of an increased prevalence of central events in the diabetic population, particularly when the sample included participants with known CVD. The investigators believed it unlikely that the findings were attributable to underlying congestive heart failure in as much as the diabetic subjects without prevalent CVD exhibited increased prevalence of periodic breathing and possibly increased central events. The authors proposed that diabetes mellitus might be a cause of SDB, mediated through autonomic neuropathy that may alter ventilatory control mechanisms. In this context, the authors commented that autonomic neuropathy may cause perturbations in ventilatory control by altering chemoreceptor gain or altering cardiovascular function (although the authors discounted underlying congestive heart failure as an explanation for the higher prevalence of periodic breathing in diabetic participants). To reinforce their conclusions, the authors cited the literature indicating increased prevalence of sleep apnea in diabetic patients with autonomic dysfunction, as well as the association between Shy--Drager syndrome, in which autonomic insufficiency is a constitutive element, and central sleep apnea.