For patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea, three months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is associated with reduced blood pressure, and partial reversal of metabolic abnormalities, according to a study published in the Dec. 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Surendra K. Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi, and colleagues investigated the effects of CPAP treatment on metabolic syndrome in 86 patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Patients were assigned to real or sham CPAP for three months, followed by a washout period of one month, and then a crossover to the other intervention for three months. Anthropometric variables, blood pressure, fasting blood glucose levels and lipid profile, insulin resistance, glycated hemoglobin levels, carotid intima-media thickness, and visceral fat were measured before and after each intervention. Read the rest of this entry
Losing weight reduces the risk factors for many diseases, especially cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea. Shedding just 10 pounds, for example, can lower blood pressure. Weight loss also lowers blood sugar and improves cholesterol levels.
Now, it looks like a new benefit can be added to the list. Losing weight can reduce urinary incontinence in women who are overweight or obese. In a randomized trial funded by the National Institutes of Health, moderate weight loss in a group of heavy women who undertook a six-month diet and exercise program cut the frequency of urinary incontinence episodes by nearly a half.
Urinary incontinence affects more than 13 million women in the United States. It not only causes inconvenience and emotional stress, it also raises the risk of falls, fractures, and nursing home admissions. Obesity has long been associated with urinary leakage in women, but until now, there’s been little research to confirm that losing weight would help reverse the problem — or to suggest how much weight loss would be needed. Read the rest of this entry
Two-thirds of adults in America — and nearly one-third of children and teenagers — are obese or overweight, and one in 4 New Yorkers is obese, according to an annual obesity report released Thursday by two public health groups.
The latest survey ranks New York 41st on a state-by-state obesity list, improving from a tie for 36th last year. The number of obese adults in New York has edged down to 24.7 percent of the population from 25.1 percent.
Thirty-eight states now have obesity rates above 25 percent. In 1995, no state had an obesity rate above 20 percent.
In New York, the combined obesity and overweight rate is 60.6 percent, up from 54.1 percent in 2001, the survey found. The diabetes rate has risen to 8.7 percent from 4.7 percent in 1995 and the hypertension rate to 27.1 percent from 22 percent. Read the rest of this entry
Removing enlarged tonsils and adenoids may help prevent high blood pressure and heart damage in children who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), according to a study conducted at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. In some children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), adenotonsillectomy can result in significantly lower blood pressure within 24 months of the procedure.
The results will be presented at the ATS 2011 International Conference in Denver.
Children with enlarged tonsils and adenoids are particularly prone to developing obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), said study lead author Lisa Burns, MD, (Pulmonary Fellow at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center). And, in children and adults, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been linked with elevations in both daytime and nighttime blood pressure. obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can also interfere with the normal “dip” in blood pressure levels that occur during sleep. Persistent elevations in blood pressure can result in organ damage, including heart damage. Read the rest of this entry
A study by scientists at the University of Birmingham has found that people that have type 2 diabetes and do not sleep well are at a higher risk of complaints such as eye disease, foot problems and amputation . The research involved monitoring 231 type 2 diabetes patients, 149 of which had obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep disorder resulting from disturbed breathing. They showed there were 48 per cent of those with eye damage in the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) group, as compared with only 20 per cent in the group without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Read the rest of this entry
Conclusions of a recently concluded research study show that three fairly common ailments may work together to increase death risks. This new research study is aimed at determining a close inter-linkage among obesity, acid reflux disease, and sleep apnea.
Researchers believe obesity directly causes sleep apnea. Additionally, lack of sleep or sound sleep often increases the risks of other health problems like blood pressure, stress, and even heart attack.
Sleep apnea causes interrupted breathing while sleeping, and the effects of these breathing pauses may be magnified if a person has acid reflux.
Before people realize they have sleep apnea, they often wake up feeling tired, assuming it was just a bad night of sleep. Instead, sleep apnea and acid reflux disease may be the culprits.
Researchers at the Lynn Health Science Research Institute explain that these ailments may be linked to other significant health dangers as well, like depression or carelessness.
Obesity is a primary cause of sleep apnea as well, as nearly 7 of 10 individuals with sleep apnea are obese. Obesity may also lead to acid reflux which creates a big web of health problems.
The world’s most popular blood pressure medicine is much less effective than comparable drugs and gives patients a false sense of security, researchers said Monday.
In a review of earlier studies, they found the drug, a diuretic, or “water pill,” called hydrochlorothiazide, lowered blood pressure by only about half as much as common alternatives such as beta blockers and ACE inhibitors.
“What this study says is that it is less effective than other medications such as ACE inhibitors or calcium channel blockers,” Goldberg said.
Goldberg said blood pressure has to be reevaluated no matter what medication a patient is taking, and if you are taking hydrochlorothiazide, you may just need additional therapy.Goldberg also said it’s important to lower your salt intake, participate in aerobic exercise and increase the amount of fruits, vegetables and whole grains you eat. If you have high blood pressure and snore, get tested for sleep apnea, she said, as that can raise your blood pressure, and treatment lowers it. [ Read The Complete Post By FoxNews ]
A University of New Hampshire professor’s research into hospital bed technology could soon represent a giant leap forward in patient care.
John LaCourse, professor and chair of UNH’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is currently negotiating with hospital bed manufacturers to adopt his programmed algorithm technology, which could become the basis for “smart” computerized hospital beds. Read the rest of this entry
People who sleep poorly or do not get enough sleep have higher levels of inflammation, a risk factor for heart disease and stroke, researchers have found.
Data from a recent study are scheduled to be presented Sunday, Nov. 14 at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions in Chicago by Alanna Morris, MD, a cardiology fellow at Emory University School of Medicine.
The results come from surveying 525 middle-aged people participating in the Morehouse-Emory Partnership to Eliminate Cardiovascular Health Disparities study on their sleep quality and sleep duration. The META-Health study’s co-directors are Arshed Quyyumi, MD, professor of medicine at Emory University School of Medicine and director of Emory’s Cardiovascular Research Center, and Gary Gibbons, MD, director of the Cardiovascular Research Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine. Donald Bliwise, MD, director of the Emory University Sleep Program, contributed additional guidance. Read the rest of this entry
Ambulatory BP studies indicate that even small increases in BP, particularly nighttime BP levels, are associated with significant increases in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
Accordingly, sleep-related diseases that induce increases in BP would be anticipated to substantially affect cardiovascular risk. Both sleep deprivation and insomnia have been linked to increases in incidence and prevalence of hypertension.
Likewise, sleep disruption attributable to restless legs syndrome increases the likelihood of having hypertension. Read the rest of this entry
A study concluded on people with sleep apnea found an amazing correlation with increased risk for glaucoma and stroke.In all 83 people with sleep apnea participated in this research study. Out of these 83 people in the study — fully one third had glaucoma!
If you have sleep apnea you should see your eye doctor regularly and mention you have SA. Keep regular visits with your primary care physician to monitor blood pressure, serum cholesterol, and blood sugar.Symptoms of sleep apnea-which usually occur in overweight males, include daytime sleepiness, chronic fatigue, and decreased cognitive function.
Another study found 40 minutes of exercise per day (such as brisk walking), four days per week lowered pressure in the eyes as effectively as some eye drop medications! This means exercise can reduce your risk of glaucoma, or if you already have it, exercise will help your glaucoma medications work better.
There is a new home based device that can be potentially used for monitoring health issues – such as sleep apnea at home.
With this new device a patient’s vital signs are typically taken once every four to eight hours. The cuff works overtime, measuring a patient’s blood oxygen levels, heart rhythm and rate, respiration and blood pressure, every 60 seconds. The data is sent wirelessly to a central computer. If something goes wrong, an alert sounds. Read the rest of this entry
For patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea, three months of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is associated with reduced blood pressure, and partial reversal of metabolic abnormalities, according to a study published in the Dec. 15 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
