Obstructive Sleep Apnea Could Be Fatal For Stroke Patients!

Sleep apnea is a condition in which a person’s breathing can briefly cease or become blocked numerous times during the night. Sleep apnea occurs frequently among patients with stroke, but whether it is an independent risk factor for mortality is still unknown.

In order to understand this relationship better, researchers from Umea University Hospital in Sweden examined long-term survival among 132 stroke patients admitted for in-hospital stroke rehabilitation between 1995 and 1997. All the participated patients underwent overnight sleep apnea recording about 3 weeks after their stroke, and they were followed for an average of 10 years.

Out of the 132 participants, 23 patients (17.4 percent) had obstructive sleep apnea and 28 patients (21.2 percent) had central sleep apnea during Cheyne-Stokes respiration. 2 patients who had both obstructive and central sleep apnea were excluded. A total of 79 patients served as controls.

Researchers found that 116 (88 percent) patients had died at follow-up. This included all patients with obstructive sleep apnea, 96 percent of those with central sleep apnea and 81 percent of patients without either form of sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition in which breathing is blocked by collapsing airway tissues while central sleep apnea is one in which respiration controlled by the brain is interrupted.

The results showed that central sleep apnea was not associated with increased mortality. However, the mortality rates of patients with obstructive sleep apnea were 76 percent higher than those without apnea.

In the paper published on February 11, 2008 in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the researchers pointed out that it could be the drop in nighttime levels or oxygen in the bloodstream and an increased risk of cardiac arrest that might account for the increased mortality among stroke patients who have sleep apnea.

Is Dozing During Daytime a Sign of Stroke or Even Heart Attack?

It is not uncommon to find people especially those older ones easily doze off during daytime. However, this may not be a healthy sign as this group of people is at high risk of getting stroke, as indicated by a study by United States researchers.

In the paper presented on February 21, 2008 at an American Stroke Association conference in New Orleans, researchers from Columbia University in New York reported that older people who easily doze off during the day have at least 4 times more likely to have a stroke. These people were also at a higher risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular problems.

Even after the researchers took consideration for things like diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), obesity, physical activity and socioeconomic status, these people were much more likely to end up with stroke.

The study involved 2,153 adults with an average age of 73. The participants were mostly Hispanic men and women aged over 40 and lived in the same community in New York City. None of them had suffered a stroke.

It was found that those classified as doing 'some dozing' during the day had a risk of stroke that was 2.6 times greater for those with 'no dozing', and those who were in the 'significant dozing' group had a 4.5 times greater risk.

Questions on how often these participants dozed in specific situations such as watching TV, sitting quietly after a lunch without alcohol and stopping briefly in traffic while driving were asked. The findings shown that some 44 percent reported no dozing, 47 percent had some dozing and 9 percent reported significant dozing.

The researchers checked again after 2 and half years later to see how many of these participants had strokes or other vascular or heart disease problems like heart attack. 40 strokes and 127 other vascular or heart disease events were detected.

The researchers were not sure what causes the daytime sleepiness and whether this is related with sleep apnea. In fact, other studies have already found that people with sleep apnea who briefly stop breathing throughout the night are at high risk of stroke. Sleep apnea can cause daytime sleepiness too. They believe further investigation is necessary.

More Obese Kids Require Helps From Hospistals In United States!

A study presented at a conference organized by the Obesity Society recently reported that the number of children hospitalized in Untied States was tripled from 1998 to 2004 because of obesity-linked health problems. Sleep apnea, high blood pressure and gall bladder stones are the three most frequent health problems.

In 2002 for the first time ever, more kids were admitted as a result of obesity rather than for inadequate nutrition. Statistically, 40 out of every 10,000 children under 18 were hospitalized in 1998 for health issues linked to obesity compared to 120 cases per 10,000 children in 2004.

Children affected by sleep apnea were among the biggest increases. Their rate of hospitalization actually increased from about 20 cases per 10,000 children in 1998 to 270 per 10,000 in 2004. The number of cases for obese children resulting in high blood pressure climbed from 100 per 10,000 children in 1998 to 200 six years later. The cases related to gall bladder problems were found to be 20 per 10,000 children in 1998 and reached 35 in 2004.

People with simple sleep apnea are simple snorers who snore without excessive daytime tiredness. But people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) snore and have pauses in breathing during sleep with excessive daytime sleepiness. According to research, patients with OSA will have a higher chance (1.6 to 2.3 times) of a heart attack and stroke than normal patients.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, used to be a health problem among older generation, can lead to heart disease if it is not managed properly.

Last but not least, the number of gastric bypass surgeries was found to increase from 500 children under 18 in 1998 to 4,000 in 2004. The said surgeries involve stapling part of the stomach and is considered as the last resort if everything else fails in reducing weight. And they are usually recommended by doctors.