Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Doubles Stroke Risk

Sixteen percent of Americans have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). A 7-year study included 1,000 patients with OSA and was conducted at the Yale University School of Medicine. The study showed that people with OSA were twice as likely to develop a stroke.

CPAP treatment decreased daytime fatigue, which is a common symptom of OSA, but did not change significantly the stroke risk. The question is what treatment we should use to decrease the risk.

According to the researchers, sleep apnea seems to be an independent risk factor for CAD, HTN and stroke.

Obesity is a known association of OSA and a part of what some Cleveland Clinic doctors call Diabesity - a common combination of DM2 and obesity. Diabesity® is a registered trademark of Shape Up America!©

Check out this clinical case presentation of a patient with OSA.

References:

Obstructive Sleep Apnea as a Risk Factor for Stroke and Death - NEJM 11/05
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure for Central Sleep Apnea and Heart Failure - NEJM 11/05
Sleep -— A New Cardiovascular Frontier - NEJM Editorial 11/05

Mavs Fan at the Finals - Photos - SI.com http://goo.gl/tIdL3
Sleepiness and sleep-disordered breathing may be found in 19-29% of children with positive allergy test (http://goo.gl/AfCWZ).
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