People with even minimally symptomatic obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be at increased risk for cardiovascular disease because of impaired endothelial function and increased arterial stiffness, according to a study from the Oxford Centre for Respiratory Medicine in the United Kingdom.
“It was previously known that people with OSA severe enough to affect their daytime alertness and manifest in other ways are at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, but this finding suggests that many more people — some of whom may be completely unaware that they even have OSA — are at risk than previously thought,” said lead author of the study, Malcolm Kohler, M.D.
__________
Trackback URL for this post:
http://awakeinamerica.info/2008/top-news/even-mild-sleep-apnea-hikes-heart-risk/trackback/
Researchers found that patients with obstructive sleep apnea, who were compliant with their CPAP therapy, experienced an average 2mm/Hg drop in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure at the end of the year when compared to patients who did not use the CPAP machine.
__________
Trackback URL for this post:
http://awakeinamerica.info/2008/top-news/treating-sleep-apnea-may-lower-blood-pressure/trackback/
People with obstructive sleep apnea have been reported to have increased markers of oxidative stress and exhibit architectural changes in their brain tissue in areas involved in learning and memory. Chronic intermittent hypoxia in rats produce similar neurological deficit patterns.
“Obstructive sleep apnea has been increasingly recognized as a serious and frequent health condition with potential long-term morbidities that include learning and psychological disabilities,” wrote David Gozal, M.D., professor and director of Kosair Children’s Hospital Research Institute at the University of Louisville, lead author of the article.
__________
Trackback URL for this post:
http://awakeinamerica.info/2008/top-news/apnea-related-cognitive-issues-may-be-treated-with-green-tea/trackback/
