30 September 2010

Sleep Apnea makes diabetes harder to control

From a small study by the University of Chicago, researchers are stating clearly that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) that is undiagnosed and untreated leads to complications of diabetes from poor blood glucose control.

While 60 individuals was the number used for the study, we know nothing about the health of the individuals other than that they may have had diabetes and sleep apnea before the study.

Of the 60 participants, 46 were found to have sleep apnea that was not treated or not diagnosed. For those that had sleep apnea, it was found that the more severe it was, the worse the management was measured by the A1c test.

This new study has determined that sleep apnea makes Type 2 diabetes worse and increases the incidence of complications. This should tell the American Diabetes Association that physicians need to screen their patients with diabetes for OSA.

Obstructive sleep apnea is also linked to an increased risk of mortality from all causes. This information was published in a study last year titled “Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Mortality: A Prospective Cohort Study.” The statistics are alarming from this study.

Since it is known that sleep apnea does relate as a risk factor to diabetes, this small study is still important to be aware of. Read about the study here. The study and findings are published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

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