By Dhong Hun-jong, M.D.

Allergic rhinitis, or AR, is a common disease that is often considered a trivial and temporary illness less severe than asthma. 

However, the disease can bring dramatic changes in the quality of life of the patients, affecting their daily activities. It also results in relatively high medical expenses and financial burden.

According to the National Health Insurance Corporation, 4.1 million people suffer from AR in Korea (2007) and the economic burden is estimated to reach almost $272.92 million.

Allergic symptoms can vary with the season and type of allergen. They include sneezing, runny nose, nasal congestion, plus itchy eyes and nose. Young patients may also have mouth breathing, snoring and sleep-disordered breathing such as obstructive sleep apnea.

In these patients, upper respiratory infections such as common colds and ear infections are more frequent and last longer. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[ Press Release ]/ HONG KONG, Feb. 9, 2011 /- Ventus Medical, a privately-held United States based medical device company focused on sleep-disordered breathing, is pleased to announce that its proprietary Provent(R) Sleep Apnea Therapy, an innovative, non-invasive treatment for obstructive sleep apnea, is now available throughout Hong Kong. The HomeCare Medical Ltd., with over 17 years of sleep medicine experience, will be the exclusive distributor of Provent Sleep Apnea Therapy in Hong Kong.

We believe clinically-proven Provent Therapy offers a unique and convenient alternative to CPAP treatment for the large number of people in Hong Kong currently affected by obstructive sleep apnea,” said Philip Westbrook, M.D., chief medical officer of Ventus Medical and former President of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. “Provent has been used effectively in the United States since 2008 and in clinical studies, Provent Therapy increased energy and quality of life while it reduced apnea (breathing disruptions), daytime sleepiness and related snoring. Importantly, Provent is easy to use, portable and discreet for use at home or when travelling.”

In patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the airway collapses during sleep when the muscles that hold it open relax. People with this disorder stop breathing during the night—in some cases hundreds of times each night — usually for periods of ten seconds or longer. Although some people with sleep apnea don’t know they have the condition, they snore and occasionally wake up gasping for air. It is often their sleep partner who is aware of these symptoms and will urge them to go to the doctor. Read the rest of this entry

COPENHAGEN, Feb 8 (Reuters) – Danish drugmaker Lundbeck has signed a commercial rights deal with biotechnology firm Cephalon Inc in Canada and Latin America to reinforce its position in those markets.

Under the deal, Lundbeck will take over the registration and commercial rights to a number of Cephalon products such as Provigil and Nuvigil to improve wakefulness, and its pain product Fentora, Lundbeck said on Tuesday.

“The Cephalon brands will significantly strengthen our position in these markets while leveraging on existing sales and marketing capabilities adding significant sales in Canada and Latin America from 2012,” Lundbeck’s Chief Executive Ulf Wiinberg said in the statement. Read the rest of this entry

A New York Times report examined how poor sleep and susceptibility to colds go hand in hand, and scientists think it could be a reflection of the role sleep plays in maintaining the body’s defenses.

Most people with sleep apnea are aware that they snore and feel overtired or fatigued but are unaware of potentially serious medical problems that include memory loss, stroke, heart disease and an increase risk of auto accidents.

In a study for The Archives of Internal Medicine, scientists followed 153 men and women for two weeks, keeping track of their quality and duration of sleep. After exposure to the cold viruses, those who slept an average of fewer than seven hours a night were three times as likely to get sick. If you have Obstructive Sleep Apnea or are NOT using your CPAP, Find a Sleep Apnea Treatment Center near your locality.
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A sleep apnea machine is today’s more effective treatment solution for obstructive sleep apnea. If you are a sleep apnea patient and have just lately been using a sleep apnea machine, you might need to know if you are executing the treatment methods appropriately. Sleep apnea therapy that is appropriately done could make the treatment method do the job almost 100% in order to avoid apnea episodes.

First, check if you are getting the correct quantity of pressure prescribed. Additionally, just be sure you are using the sleep apnea machine as often as recommended, which in most of the cases, it must be used every night. Compliance to the particular prescribed therapy is very important to acquire good benefits. The machine quite possibly cost you thousands of dollars so you might as well put it to use and use it right. Typically, you can get the insurance to cover the cost of the machines or perhaps greater part of the cost of it. Read the rest of this entry

A recently concluded research study from Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit has found that patients with obstructive sleep apnea who undergo surgery to improve their breathing get a better night’s sleep and therefore are less drowsy during the day. 

The study finds surgery greatly reduces daytime sleepiness – a common side effect from this disorder in which the upper airway is partially or completely blocked during sleep – when compared to other non-surgical treatments for obstructive sleep apnea. 

The retrospective study looked at 40 patients who underwent one of three surgical interventions – uvulopalatopharyngoplasty, tonsillectomy or radiofrequency ablation of the base of tongue – between January 2007 and December 2009.  Read the rest of this entry

The inability to sleep at night, insomnia, affects around twenty percent of people in the US. Among the elders this increases to around thirty percent. Those affected by it can suffer other physical effects from the affliction such as hypertension and accidents due to this.

A recently concluded research study has now established that there exists a surprisingly easy answer for people who suffer from insomnia.

Try to reduce the amount of time that you spend in bed. Read the rest of this entry

NovaSom Inc., formerly Sleep Solutions Inc., a maker of a home-based sleep apnea testing devices filed a notice today with the SEC that shows it intends to raise $15 million in debt, and is already more than halfway toward its goal.

What’s sleep apnea?

It is “a sleep disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing, during sleep.” It can cause a ton of other health complications if not treated.

Most sleep apnea studies take place in a clinic or hospital setting and involve use of special devices, but are conducting over the course of one night’s sleep. NovaSom’s device is meant to be used in the home over the course of several nights, and the company says the home setting contributes to more accurate diagnoses.

The company says it works with physicians and insurers to prescribe the use of its device. It claims it’s been used to test 60,000 people so far.

The market for sleep apnea diagnostic equipment sales is potentially vast, since it’s a problem for many who have trouble sleeping but don’t ever get a diagnosis. An estimated 18 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, but NovaSom believes 85 percent haven’t been diagnosed.

A research concluded recently with an objective to determine the cost-effectiveness of treatment with caffeine compared with placebo for sleep apnea of prematurity in infants with birth weights less than 1250 g, from birth through 18 to 21 months’ corrected age.

The researchers undertook a retrospective economic evaluation of the cost per survivor without neurodevelopmental impairment by using individual-patient data from the Caffeine for Sleep Apnea of Prematurity clinical trial (N = 1869). Read the rest of this entry

A recently concluded research shows an association between sleep disorders in school-age children and behavior disorders such as ADHD. The sleep disorder that was in the focus in this research study was obstructive sleep apnea, or OSA.

There are many population studies from all over the world showing that approximately 2-3% of children have OSA. Just as in adults, this disorder is caused by a collapse of the upper airway during sleep. This results in a drop in oxygen, a rise in carbon dioxide, and fragmented sleep because the brain is disturbed by these fluctuations in oxygen and CO2. The classic example of a kid with sleep apnea is the skinny kid with big tonsils. Read the rest of this entry

SleepApneaDisorder/[Press Release]/MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 19, 2011 /Nonin Medical, Inc., the inventor of fingertip pulse oximetry and an innovator of noninvasive physiological monitoring solutions, today announced the United States and Canadian launches of its WristOx2™, Model 3150 wrist-worn pulse oximeter.

The WristOx2, Model 3150 is a compact, wireless wrist-worn monitoring device that accurately monitors blood-oxygen saturation (SpO2) levels and pulse rate in patients undergoing ambulatory monitoring to screen for breathing disorders such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea. Engineered with Nonin’s PureSAT® SpO2 technology, the WristOx2, Model 3150 is proven clinically accurate in the widest range of clinical settings and challenging patient conditions such as motion and low perfusion. Featuring Bluetooth® wireless technology, a new ergonomic design and larger screen size, the WristOx2, Model 3150 is designed to increase patient comfort and ease of use. Read the rest of this entry

Sarnia-based Dr. Gautam Soparkar, a sleep apnea expert who also oversees sleep clinics in Leamington and London, has written the Quick and Easy Sleep Apnea Book, which explains the medical condition in lay terms so people can understand it and recognize its signs and symptoms.

Sleep apnea is a disorder in which a person’s breathing is disrupted during sleep, sometimes severely. It’s more common than people think, Soparkar said during a book signing at Windsor Regional Hospital.

Many people have no idea they suffer from the condition, even if it’s affecting their daily life and health, Soparkar said. Read the rest of this entry

If your legs are jittery, jumpy, tingly and restless later in the day and especially at night when trying to sleep then these are the most common symptoms of Restless Leg Syndrome, a poorly understood condition that affects people of all ages.

Usually, the urge to move one’s legs is strongest when at rest, especially at time of sleep, and lessens with movement or activity. This condition may be relatively mild or can be quite disabling for some people.

Many theories have been promoted as to etiology including possible association with rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis or other autoimmune or neurologic disorders. Occasionally, there are associated sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, and this raised the question of reduced tissue oxygen or build up of toxic bodily waste products. Low serum iron levels also have been implicated. Read the rest of this entry

If you’re not sleeping well, if your partner complains that you snore loudly or you’re finding yourself excessively tired and having trouble concentrating during the day, you may have sleep apnea. It’s a common disorder that should be diagnosed by a doctor.

The two most-often diagnosed types are obstructive sleep apnea and central sleep apnea. If you have sleep apnea, chances are, you’ll be told you need to sleep with a continuous positive airway pressure machine, or CPAP.

Sleep apnea is usually adequately treated with a CPAP even if oxygen levels were quite low.

If you have obstructive sleep apnea, your upper airway collapses, either partially or completely, during sleep and the oxygen level of your blood is often low.  [Read The Complete Post By Lisa Shives, M.D. ]

SleepApneaDisorder/(Press Release)/New York, NY ,January 19, 2011 / Dr. Farhad Hakimi announces today that from his 12 years of research of over 3,500 patients suffering from sleep apnea & snoring, that limiting alcohol intake before bed can help to reduce snoring in some patients that are looking for ways to lower their night-time snoring without the use of a CPAP machine or other oral appliance.

Dr. Hakimi says that having alcohol before bedtime increases the relaxation of the tongue and throat muscles, therefore making snoring more likely. In addition to reducing alcohol intake before bed, he recommends to his patients to make sure nasal passages are clear, as this makes breathing much easier during night-time sleeping. Read the rest of this entry