BACKGROUND In a clinical study, the role of chronic hypoxia in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or the role of transient hypoxia in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome were examined for the peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layers. PATIENTS AND METHODS 10 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease GOLD stages 3 or 4 (4 men and 6 women, age 47 to 71 years...

STUDY OBJECTIVES The objective was to investigate the prevalence of heart attack, angina pectoris, stroke, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and obesity in relation to the presence and severity of obstructive sleep apnea. METHODS The sample consisted of 1887 patients, with mean age of 48.6 years (range 16-83 years), referred to a university hospita...

ABSTRACT The Board of Directors of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) commissioned a Task Force to develop quality measures as part of its strategic plan to promote high quality patient-centered care. Among many potential dimensions of quality, the AASM requested Workgroups to develop outcome and process measures to aid in evaluating the quality of care of five common sleep disorders...

Background: Automatic Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (automatic CPAP, APAP) is an effective treatment option for Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS). The differentiation of obstructive and central respiratory events is crucial in adjusting the optimal pressure in this treatment mode. In this pilot study we evaluated a new automatic CPAP algorithm in OSAS patients. Methods: Fourteen (14...

This is an overview for the non-specialist of the pathophysiology, workup and treatment of the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The mechanisms leading to upper airway closure during sleep are discussed, as well as the current theoretical and experimental concepts for the apnea-induced arousal response and the consequent changes in sleep architecture and quality. Epidemiological data are summar...

The first description of an obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) sufferer is generally attributed to the novelist Charles Dickens, who described ‘‘Joe’’ in The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, published in 1836. Joe was an excessively sleepy, obese boy who snored loudly and had possible right-sided heart failure that led to his being called ‘‘young dropsy’’ [1,2]. The first physician to describ...

A 42-year-old hypertensive diabetic white female with a history of excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS), snoring, and obesity exhibits several risk factors for the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. In addition, the patient has periodic leg movements in sleep and central sleep apnea. Renal insufficiency, with raised blood urea nitrogen, likely made a contribution to the EDS.

Sleep-related breathing disorders require special attention in children who spend a considerable time sleeping. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is characterized by episodes of upper airway obstruction during sleep. Symptoms include hyperactivity, enuresis, headache, failure to thrive, and increased respiratory effort and total sleep time. The most common cause is adenotonsillar hypertrophy. Co...

[Purpose] The aim of this study was to ascertain the prevalence of chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and to assess the relationship between sleep disorder and pain, quality of life, and disability. [Subjects and Methods] Seventy-four patients were included in the study and classified as having mild, moderate, or severe obstructive sleep ap...