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Sleep Problem Raises Heart Risks
By Dianne Partie Lange
Studies have shown that people with sleep apnea are at risk for a host
of chronic health problems, including cardiovascular disease. But
whether sleep apnea -- a temporary disruption of breathing during sleep -- actually leads to the more serious health problem has not been
investigated.
Now Swedish researchers who followed a group of 182 men with the
breathing disorder found that at least one cardiovascular problem occurred in about a third of them during a seven-year period. The study also found that the men with sleep apnea -- who were otherwise healthy -- were five times more likely to suffer from heart disease than men without the disorder.
The good news in the study was that when sleep apnea was effectively
treated, the risk of heart disease dropped. Treatment in this study
included use of a breathing device that provides continuous positive airway pressure, surgery to remove obstructing tissue or a special mouth appliance to ease breathing.
The researchers at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Gothenburg say
the results of their study suggest that even mild forms of sleep apnea
should be treated.
The incidence of cardiovascular disease in middle-aged women with sleep
apnea was also high, but because of the small number of women in the
study, the researchers didn't include them in their final analysis.
Dianne Partie Lange is a free-lance writer in California who
specializes in health issues.
© Dianne Partie Lange. Distributed by Los Angeles Times Syndicate
International, a division of Tribune Media Services.
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