Health
Asthma linked to increased sleep apnea risk in young women
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Sept. 18, 2006
Women who have asthma are almost twice as likely to snore, exhibiting one of the main signs of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, according to a study published in the August Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Researchers sent questionnaires to the mothers of participants in the Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study, a project looking at children who are at high risk for allergic disease because at least one parent has this problem. Just more than 34% of these women, who had an average age of 30, snored a least once a week with about 12% snoring almost every night. These numbers are significantly higher than the prevalence usually found in studies that look at the general population.
The paper's authors hope that this information will put an end to the notion that obstructive sleep apnea is primarily a problem of men. They also hope the findings will be used to better target the rather expensive tests used to diagnose the condition.
"Physicians need to know the risk factors that predispose a patient to obstructive sleep apnea so we can get those patients in for a conclusive test -- such as a sleep study -- and start treatment sooner," said Maninder Kalra, MD, lead author and assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2006/09/18/hlbf0918.htm.
