Treatment for Sleep Apnea May Not Reduce Heart Attack Risk

Machines designed to help people with sleep apnoea do not reduce the risk of heart attack or stroke, but significantly improve quality of life.

The Sleep Apnoea Cardiovascular Endpoints (SAVE) study monitored sleep apnoea patients with a pre-existing vascular disease over four years in 89 hospitals in Australia, New Zealand, India, the US, Spain and Brazil.

Sleep Deprivation can lead to a Host of Serious Health Problems
Whether you have trouble sleeping or trouble staying asleep, it’s important that you address the causes of sleep deprivation and cultivate good sleep habits.

‘Though continuous positive airway pressure machine may not prevent the risk of heart attack or stroke, it does improve the quality of life.’

Tweet it Now

The study of more than 2,700 sleep apnoea sufferers with cardiovascular disease estimated 25 percent of middle-aged men and 10 percent of middle-aged women suffer from sleep apnoea.

Researchers were looking at whether a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine would prevent major cardiovascular events including heart attack and stroke. The results of the study showed that CPAP treatment made no difference to whether patients had a major cardiovascular event.

Professor Doug McEvoy from the Adelaide Institute for Sleep Health, run by Flinders University, said the overall risk of future cardiovascular events was not improved by the treatment for sleep apnoea.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea - Overview
Obstructive sleep apnea should be suspected in overweight middle aged adults who snore loudly and which can cause interruption of breathing for 10 seconds or more and this results in reduced blood o

However the study did show the patients who used a CPAP machine experienced quality of life benefits including reduced snoring, reduced daytime sleepiness and better mood.

Professor Ron Grunstein from the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney said there were "major improvements in wellbeing".

Sleep Disorders in Elderly-Causes-Symptoms-Diagnosis-Treatment-Conclusion
Sleep is a barometer of good health in the elderly. Sleep problems in the elderly are controlled by various external and internal factors.

The SAVE study emphasises the benefits that apnoea sufferers receive by using CPAP machines for at least four hours during a sleep session — a finding manufacturers will be paying close attention to.

Source-Medindia

Sleep Disorder : Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) causes - An urge to move, usually due to uncomfortable sensations that occur primarily in the legs.