Overweight in children is most commonly described by using BMI. Because BMI does not adequately describe regional (central) adiposity, other indices of body fatness are being explored.

Neck circumference (NC) is positively associated with obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes, and hypertension in adults. NC also has positive correlation with BMI in adults. The possible role of NC in screening for high BMI in children is not well characterized. Read the rest of this entry

Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can cause undesirable nasal symptoms such as congestion to obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients, which symptoms can be attenuated by the addition of heated humidification.

However, neither the nature of nasal symptoms nor the effect of heated humidification on nasal pathophysiology and pathology are convincingly known.

 Twenty patients with OSA on nasal CPAP who exhibited symptomatic nasal obstruction were randomized to receive either 3 weeks of CPAP treatment with heated humidification or 3 weeks of CPAP treatment with sham-heated humidification, followed by 3 weeks of the opposite treatment, respectively. Read the rest of this entry

 Patients with neuromuscular disease (NMD) are at risk of developing sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) following respiratory muscle involvement. The researchers hypothesised that a questionnaire based on clinical symptoms and signs of diaphragm weakness can be used to screen for SDB in such patients.  

Researchers developed a self-administered multiple choice questionnaire containing five questions (SiNQ-5), scoring 0–10 points. 125 patients were enroled, 32 with respiratory muscle weakness, 35 subjects with normal respiratory muscle strength, and 58 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). All subjects underwent full polysomnography. ^{Read the rest of this entry}

Obstructive sleep apnea has been related to increased cardiovascular risk. A recent research study examined the relationships between respiratory parameters and left ventricular abnormalities in obstructive sleep apnea.

One hundred and fifty newly diagnosed OSA patients without any known cardiovascular disease were included (age =49±11 years, BMI =27.1±3.3 kg·m^–2, respiratory disturbance index =41±18/h). Haemodynamic, biological, respiratory, cardiac and arterial parameters were assessed at inclusion. ^{Read the rest of this entry}

A research study was concluded recently to estimate the population prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in an urban community of German third graders and the diagnostic test accuracy of two OSA screening methods.

Using a cross-sectional study design with a multi-stage sampling strategy, 27 out of 59 primary schools within the city limits of Hannover, Germany, were selected. One-thousand and forty-four (1044)  third graders were screened for symptoms of Sleep Apnea along with Symptoms and signs of OSA using questionnaires and nocturnal home pulse oximetry. Read the rest of this entry

To compare the sleep-disordered breathing prevalence among Hispanic and white Americans and Japanese, the researchers performed a one-night sleep study with a single channel airflow monitor on 211 Hispanics and 246 whites from the Minnesota Field Center of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA), and 978 Japanese from three community-based cohorts of the Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS) in Japan. Read the rest of this entry

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Diabetes have a close relationship.

“There is increasing attention to the causes, consequences, and treatment of OSA. OSA is a condition that millions of Americans suffer from, many without knowing it”,says .Dr. Gary D. Foster, a member of the Advisory Board for DiabetesCare.net

According to Dr. Foster obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is closely associated with impaired faster glucose, glucose intolerance, and type 2 diabetes.

“A recent comprehensive literature review, comprised of 83 studies, found among all of the sleep disorders, OSA has the strongest association with type 2 diabetes,. It is possible that the relationship goes in both directions. Poor sleep quality and intermittent hypoxemia from OSA may serve as the catalyst for glucose dysregulation. Over time these abnormalities may accelerate weight gain, which increases the severity of OSA”, explained Dr. Foster

A recently concluded  research study established that the patients denied bariatric surgery by their insurer developed a host of new obesity-related diseases and conditions including Type 2 diabetes, hypertension and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) , within three years. 

Another study on insurers, showed that patients on insurance-mandated diet programs for six months before bariatric surgery did no better than patients with no such insurance requirement. However, patients on these programs had to wait, on average, about four months longer for surgery. 

Findings of this new research study were presented at the 27th annual scientific meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) recently.

The aim was to test the hypothesis that the blood serum of rats subjected to recurrent airway obstructions mimicking obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) induces early activation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and enhancement of endothelial wound healing.

Methods

We studied 30 control rats and 30 rats subjected to recurrent obstructive apneas (60 per hour, lasting 15 s each, for 5 h). The migration induced in MSC by apneic serum was measured by transwell assays. Read the rest of this entry

Snoring is an occasional occurrence that may happen during all ages and stages of life. Snoring is due to the vibrations that cause particles in the air to form sound waves. Hence snoring is a sound caused from turbulent airflow which causes tissues to vibrate during sleep.

Habitual loud snoring is the most common symptom of breathing disorders that occur during sleep. The person who snores not only sleeps restlessly, but also is at risk for serious disorders of the heart and lungs. Snoring can therefore be lifethreatening because it can lead to high blood pressure, irregular heart beats, heart attacks, and sudden death.

Read the rest of this entry

[Press Release]- Graymark Healthcare Inc. the nation’s second largest provider of diagnostic sleep services and an innovator in comprehensive care for obstructive sleep apnea today announced that it sold a record number of CPAP machines in Q2 providing relief to over 750 patients. In addition they served over 1275 patients through their CPAP re-supply service.

Graymark Healthcare has been pioneering better techniques for ensuring that patients diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) are quickly and effectively treated in an effort to optimize clinical outcomes. Graymark has driven improved patient compliance with CPAP care and overall disease management by integrating the diagnostic and treatment processes.

“In Q4 of 2009 we at Graymark Healthcare announced the launch of our comprehensive care model aimed at improving the conversion rate of patients diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea to successful care with a CPAP device. We have seen consistent month over month growth in our therapy services this year and had record patient therapy volumes in Q2. We expect continued momentum through Q3 and associated strong performance,” said Stanton Nelson, Chairman and CEO of Graymark Healthcare. “We believe that our revolutionary comprehensive care model better serves our patients and is more cost effective than the fragmented care provided in other settings. Additionally, our re-supply program ensures that our patients are contacted no less than quarterly and that we can continue to work with them to improve their CPAP experience,” added Nelson. Read the rest of this entry

According to a new research study findings theBerlin questionnaire performs poorly in predicting obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in pregnant women compared to polysomnography. The detailed findings of this research study are published in the June issue of the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Sofia A. Olivarez, M.D., of the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, and colleagues conducted a prospective clinical trial of 100 women in the third trimester of pregnancy to determine the ability of the Berlin sleep questionnaire to predict OSA. The women all underwent polysomnography with concurrent fetal heart monitoring (FHM).

The researchers observed that 20 percent of the cohort was diagnosed with OSA by polysomnography, considered the diagnostic gold-standard. The Berlin screening questionnaire was 35 percent as sensitive as polysomnography and 63.8 percent as specific in predicting OSA. Read the rest of this entry

According to new research that received the Graduate Student Research Award on June 5, at the 19th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, the ratio between tongue volume and bony enclosure size in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may help dentists calculate oral appliance treatment success.

The researchers assessed whether anatomical factors such as craniofacial size, upper-airway soft tissue volume, and/or the anatomical balance between them were associated with mandibular advancement splint (MAS) treatment outcome.

The study included 49 OSA patients. Patients were at least 18 years of age and had mild to severe sleep apnea. They were without other sleep disorders or serious comorbid medical or psychiatric disorders. Read the rest of this entry

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is hypothesized to be influenced by genes within pathways involved with obesity, craniofacial development, inflammation and ventilatory control. We conducted the first candidate gene study of OSA using family data from European-Americans and African-Americans, selecting biologically plausible genes from within these pathways.

Methods

1080 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were genotyped in 729 African-Americans and 505 SNPs were genotyped in 694 European-Americans. Coding for SNPs additively, association testing on the apnea hypopnea index (AHI) as a continuous trait and OSA as a dichotomous trait (AHI 15) was conducted using methods that account for familial correlations in models adjusted for age, age-squared, and sex, with and without body mass index. Read the rest of this entry

It is unclear when it is safe to discharge patients with a diagnosis of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) after ambulatory surgical procedures due to concern for postoperative respiratory compromise and hypoxemia. Our OSA patients undergoing ambulatory-type orthopedic procedures are monitored overnight in the PACU, thus we reviewed patient records to determine incidence of complications. Read the rest of this entry