79 hot topic(s) found with the query "Sleep"
Deep representation learning identifies associations between physical activity and sleep patterns during pregnancy and prematurity.
Neal G Ravindra et al. NPJ Digit Med 2023 9 (1) 171
(Posted: Sep 29, 2023 7AM)
From the abstract: "In this study, we use physical activity data collected using a wearable device comprising over 181,944?h of data across N?=?1083 patients. Using a new state-of-the art deep learning time-series classification architecture, we develop a ‘clock’ of healthy dynamics during pregnancy by using gestational age (GA) as a surrogate for progression of pregnancy. We also develop novel interpretability algorithms that integrate unsupervised clustering, model error analysis, feature attribution, and automated actigraphy analysis, allowing for model interpretation with respect to sleep, activity, and clinical variables. "
Brining it all together: wearable data fusion
Y Celik et al, NPJ Digital Medicine, August 17, 2023
(Posted: Aug 17, 2023 11AM)
Contemporary wearables like smartwatches are often equipped with advanced sensors and have associated algorithms to aid researchers monitor physiological outcomes like physical activity levels, sleep patterns or heart rate in free-living environments. But here’s the catch: all that valuable data is often collected separately because the sensors don’t always play nice with each other, and it’s a real challenge to put all the data together. To get the full picture, we may often need to combine different data streams.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of chatbots on lifestyle behaviours
B Singh et al, NPJ Digital Medicine
(Posted: Jun 24, 2023 10AM)
Nineteen trials were included. Sample sizes ranged between 25–958, and mean participant age ranged between 9–71 years. Most interventions (n?=?15, 79%) targeted physical activity, and most trials had a low-quality rating (n?=?14, 74%). Meta-analysis results showed significant effects (all p?<?0.05) of chatbots for increasing total physical activity (SMD?=?0.28 [95% CI?=?0.16, 0.40]), daily steps (SMD?=?0.28 [95% CI?=?0.17, 0.39]), MVPA (SMD?=?0.53 [95% CI?=?0.24, 0.83]), fruit and vegetable consumption (SMD?=?0.59 [95% CI?=?0.25, 0.93]), sleep duration (SMD?=?0.44 [95% CI?=?0.32, 0.55]) and sleep quality (SMD?=?0.50 [95% CI?=?0.09, 0.90]).
Emerging sensing and modeling technologies for wearable and cuffless blood pressure monitoring.
Lei Zhao et al. NPJ Digit Med 2023 5 (1) 93
(Posted: May 23, 2023 11AM)
Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a leading cause of death worldwide. For early diagnosis, intervention and management of CVDs, it is highly desirable to frequently monitor blood pressure (BP), a vital sign closely related to CVDs, during people’s daily life, including sleep time. Towards this end, wearable and cuffless BP extraction methods have been extensively researched in recent years as part of the mobile healthcare initiative. This review focuses on the enabling technologies for wearable and cuffless BP monitoring platforms, covering both the emerging flexible sensor designs and BP extraction algorithms.
Interactions between the lipidome and genetic and environmental factors in autism.
Chloe X Yap et al. Nat Med (4) 936-949
(Posted: Apr 20, 2023 9AM)
Here we explored the plasma lipidome (783 lipid species) in 765 children (485 diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)) within the Australian Autism Biobank. We identified lipids associated with ASD diagnosis (n?=?8), sleep disturbances (n?=?20) and cognitive function (n?=?8) and found that long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids may causally contribute to sleep disturbances mediated by the FADS gene cluster.
Digital health tools to support parents with parent-infant sleep and mental well-being
HL Ball et al, NPJ Digital Medicine, December 21, 2022
(Posted: Dec 21, 2022 8AM)
Digital technology has been developed to support parents in the following four ways: (1) providing digital information on infant sleep, (2) offering targeted support for night-time care, (3) managing infant sleep and (4) monitoring infant sleep and safety. Evidence on the effectiveness of these strategies is varied and there are concerns regarding the reliability of information, use of personal data, commercial exploitation of parents, and the effects of replacing caregiver presence with digital technology.
Personalized Medicine and Obstructive Sleep Apnea
SQ Quy et al, J Per Med, December 2022
(Posted: Dec 09, 2022 6AM)
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disease that is often under-diagnosed and under-treated in all ages. This is due to differences in morphology, diversity in clinical phenotypes, and differences in diagnosis and treatment of OSA in children and adults, even among individuals of the same age.
This narrative review seeks to describe the current concepts and relevant approaches towards personalized management of patients with OSA, according to pathophysiology, cluster analysis of clinical characteristics, adequate combined therapy, and the consideration of patients’ expectations.
Fitbit step counts clarify the association between activity and chronic disease risk
Nature Medicine, October 11, 2022
(Posted: Oct 12, 2022 8AM)
Using electronic health records data from the All of Us Research Program, we show that higher daily step counts in data collected over several years of Fitbit fitness tracker use were associated with lower risk of common, chronic diseases, including diabetes, hypertension, gastroesophageal reflux disease, depression, obesity and sleep apnea.
Genetics of circadian rhythms and sleep in human health and disease.
Lane Jacqueline M et al. Nature reviews. Genetics 2022 8
(Posted: Aug 27, 2022 6AM)
Given the moderate heritability of circadian and sleep traits, genetics offers an opportunity that complements insights from model organism studies to advance our fundamental molecular understanding of human circadian and sleep physiology and linked chronic disease biology. Here, we review recent discoveries of the genetics of circadian and sleep physiology and disorders with a focus on those that reveal causal contributions to complex diseases.
Age estimation from sleep studies using deep learning predicts life expectancy
AB Kjaer et al, NPJ Digital Medicine, July 21, 2022
(Posted: Jul 22, 2022 8AM)
After controlling for demographics, sleep, and health covariates, each 10-year increment in age estimate error (AEE) was associated with increased all-cause mortality rate of 29% (95% confidence interval: 20–39%). An increase from -10 to +10?years in AEE translates to an estimated decreased life expectancy of 8.7?years (95% confidence interval: 6.1–11.4?years). Greater AEE was mostly reflected in increased sleep fragmentation, suggesting this is an important biomarker of future health independent of sleep apnea.
Clinical Characterization of Copy Number Variants Associated With Neurodevelopmental Disorders in a Large-scale Multiancestry Biobank.
Birnbaum Rebecca et al. JAMA psychiatry 2022 1 (3) 250-259
(Posted: Mar 03, 2022 8AM)
In this series of phenotypic association analyses including data from 24 877 individuals, the overall prevalence of NDD CNVs in the biobank was found to be 2.5%. NDD CNV carriers were enriched for congenital disorders and major depressive disorder, and the presence of NDD CNVs was found to be associated with several medical outcomes, including hypertension, obesity, and obesity-related phenotypes, specifically obstructive sleep apnea and increased body mass index.
Preventing Digital Overdiagnosis.
Capurro Daniel et al. JAMA 2022 1
(Posted: Jan 22, 2022 2PM)
The accelerated adoption of digital technologies in people’s lives is creating unique opportunities to leverage routinely collected digital data and machine learning models to diagnose diseases before they become symptomatic. Like traditional tests, digital screening will likely generate cases of overdiagnosis and thereby harm some patients. Digital screening tests (such as detecting mood or sleep disorders from smartphone use patterns) are being developed faster than the ability to assess their value. The additional risks and benefits of these digital tests are not only a function of their accuracy; and it is important that such approaches be validated prospectively.
Digital health tools for the passive monitoring of depression: a systematic review of methods
V de Angel et al, NPJ Digital Medicine, January 10, 2022
(Posted: Jan 11, 2022 8AM)
The literature is characterized by small sample sizes, short follow-up duration and great variability in the quality of reporting, limiting the interpretability of pooled results. Bivariate analyses show consistency in statistically significant associations between depression and digital features from sleep, physical activity, location, and phone use data. Machine learning models found the predictive value of aggregated features. Given the pitfalls in the combined literature, these results should be taken purely as a starting point for hypothesis generation.
Novel insights into the consequences of obesity: a phenotype-wide Mendelian randomization study
C He et al, EJHG January 1, 2022
(Posted: Jan 03, 2022 2PM)
Obesity is thought to significantly impact the quality of life. In this study, we sought to evaluate the health consequences of obesity on the risk of a broad spectrum of human diseases. The causal effects of exposing to obesity on health outcomes were inferred using Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses using a fixed effects inverse-variance weighted model. Our MR results confirmed many putative disease risks due to obesity, such as diabetes, dyslipidemia, sleep disorder, gout, smoking behaviors, arthritis, myocardial infarction, and diabetes-related eye disease. The novel findings indicated that elevated red blood cell count was inferred as a mediator of BMI-induced type 2 diabetes in our bidirectional MR analysis.
Gene therapy for aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency by MR-guided direct delivery of AAV2-AADC to midbrain dopaminergic neurons
TS Pearson et al, Nat Comms, July 12, 2021
(Posted: Jul 12, 2021 11AM)
Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase deficiency is a rare genetic disorder characterized by deficient synthesis of dopamine and serotonin. It presents in early infancy, and causes severe developmental disability and lifelong motor, behavioral, and autonomic symptoms including oculogyric crises (OGC), sleep disorder, and mood disturbance. We investigated the safety and efficacy of delivery of a viral vector expressing AADC (AAV2-hAADC) to the midbrain in children with AADC deficiency.
Social media language of healthcare super-utilizers
SC Guntuku et al, NPJ Digital Medicine, March 25, 2021
(Posted: Mar 26, 2021 8AM)
Super-utilizers were more likely to post about confusion and negativity (D?=?.65, 95% CI-[.38, .95]), self-reflection (D = .63 [.35, .91]), avoidance (D?=?.62 [.34, .90]), swearing (D?=?.52 [.24, .79]), sleep (D?=?.60 [.32, .88]), seeking help and attention (D?=?.61 [.33, .89]), psychosomatic symptoms, (D?=?.49 [.22, .77]), self-agency (D?=?.56 [.29, .85]), anger (D?=?.51, [.24, .79]), stress (D?=?.46, [.19, .73]), and lonely expressions (D?=?.44, [.17, .71]).
Digital oximetry biomarkers for assessing respiratory function: standards of measurement, physiological interpretation, and clinical use
J Levy et al, NPJ Digital Medicine, January 4, 2021
(Posted: Jan 04, 2021 3PM)
The goal of this study was to identify and validate digital oximetry biomarkers (OBMs) for creating a reference toolbox for continuous oximetry time series analysis. We review the sleep medicine literature to identify clinically relevant OBMs. We implement these biomarkers and demonstrate their clinical value within the context of obstructive sleep apnea diagnosis.
The future of sleep health: a data-driven revolution in sleep science and medicine
NPJ Digital Medicine, March 23, 2020
(Posted: Mar 24, 2020 6AM)
We introduce the state-of-the-art in sleep-monitoring technologies, and discuss the opportunities and challenges from data acquisition to the eventual application of insights in clinical and consumer settings. Further, we explore the strengths and limitations of current and emerging sensing methods with a particular focus on novel data-driven technologies.
Inter- and intraindividual variability in daily resting heart rate and its associations with age, sex, sleep, BMI, and time of year: Retrospective, longitudinal cohort study of 92,457 adults.
Quer Giorgio et al. PloS one 2020 (2) e0227709
(Posted: Feb 06, 2020 9AM)
Individuals have a daily resting heart rate (RHR) that is normal for them but can differ from another individual's normal by as much as 70 bpm. Within individuals, RHR was much more consistent over time, with a small but significant seasonal trend, and detectable discrete and infrequent episodes outside their norms
Your Fitbit could help health officials predict flu outbreaks in real-time
A Kim, CNN, January 2020
(Posted: Jan 24, 2020 8AM)
Researchers reviewed de-identified data from users wearing Fitbits -- the company's privacy policy allows for the potential use of de-identified user data for research, and found that they were able to do real-time flu prediction at the state level. This is the first time heart rate trackers and sleep data have been used to predict infectious disease in real time.
Characterization of Genetic and Phenotypic Heterogeneity of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Using Electronic Health Records
OJ Veatch et al, BioRXIV preprints, August 5, 2019
(Posted: Aug 06, 2019 8AM)
Capturing sleep–wake cycles by using day-to-day smartphone touchscreen interactions
JN Borger et al, NPJ Digital Medicine
(Posted: Jul 29, 2019 1PM)
This study suggests that touchscreen interactions are widely integrated into modern sleeping habits—surrounding both sleep onset and waking-up periods—yielding a new approach to measuring sleep. Smartphone interactions can be leveraged to update the behavioral signatures of sleep with these peculiarities of modern digital behavior.
Wellness culture's obsession with Fitbits, genetics and data isn't necessarily making us healthier
T Caulfied, NBC News, July 22, 2019
(Posted: Jul 23, 2019 8AM)
Is more information ? about your exercise, the quality of your sleep, or the nature of your genetic predispositions ? going to make you healthier and happier? Not necessarily. A lot of the new data suggests our technology isn?t transforming us into a generation of street-dancing, step-maximizing, sleep-mastering triathletes.
The relationship between sleep duration, cognition and dementia: a Mendelian randomization study.
Henry Albert et al. International journal of epidemiology 2019 May
(Posted: May 10, 2019 8AM)
A distinctive DNA methylation pattern in insufficient sleep.
Lahtinen Alexandra et al. Scientific reports 2019 Feb (1) 1193
(Posted: Feb 25, 2019 1PM)
Associations Between Pre-Sleep Arousal and Insomnia Symptoms in Early Adulthood: A Twin and Sibling Study.
Schneider Melanie N et al. Sleep 2019 Feb
(Posted: Feb 25, 2019 1PM)
Digitizing the way to better sleep health
SJ Jaiswal et al, Lancet, February 14, 2019
(Posted: Feb 16, 2019 1PM)
Polygenic risk score identifies associations between sleep duration and diseases determined from an electronic medical record biobank.
Dashti Hassan S et al. Sleep 2018 Dec
(Posted: Dec 12, 2018 10AM)
Investigating causal relationships between sleep traits and risk of breast cancer: a Mendelian randomization study
RC Richmond et al, BIORXIOV, November 2018
(Posted: Nov 06, 2018 11AM)
Precision Medicine for the Advancement of Knowledge on Heart, Lung, Blood, and Sleep Health and Disease: Exploring Opportunities and Addressing Challenges Using the All of Us Research Program
NHLBI July 11-12, 2018 workshop summary,
(Posted: Oct 24, 2018 10AM)
Helping Babies Sleep Safely
CDC, 2018
(Posted: Oct 22, 2018 2PM)
HLBS-PopOmics: an online knowledge base to accelerate dissemination and implementation of research advances in population genomics to reduce the burden of heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders
Mensah GA, et al, Genetics in Medicine, September 10, 2018
(Posted: Sep 10, 2018 10AM)
The Use of Precision Medicine to Manage Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treatment in Patients with Resistant Hypertension: Current Evidence and Future Directions.
Sapiña Esther et al. Current hypertension reports 2018 Jun 20(7) 60
(Posted: Jun 11, 2018 11AM)
Stimulating Implementation Science in Genomics and Precision Medicine for Heart, Lung, Blood and Sleep Diseases: The Case of Familial Hypercholesterolemia
MJ Khoury et al, Blog Post, June 5, 2018
(Posted: Jun 05, 2018 3PM)
Notice of Intent to Publish a Funding Opportunity Announcement for Rare Disease Cohorts in Heart, Lung, Blood and Sleep Disorders
NHLBI, Apr 2018
(Posted: Apr 24, 2018 11AM)
Sleep disorders and Parkinson disease; lessons from genetics.
Gan-Or Ziv et al. Sleep medicine reviews 2018 Jan
(Posted: Apr 09, 2018 9AM)
Genetic Ancestry for Sleep Research: Leveraging Health Inequalities to Identify Causal Genetic Variants.
Prasad Bharati et al. Chest 2018 Mar
(Posted: Apr 04, 2018 11AM)
Stimulating T4 Implementation Research to Optimize Integration of Proven-effective Interventions for Heart, Lung, and Blood Diseases and Sleep Disorders into Practice (STIMULATE)
NHLBI, Funding Announcement, 2018
(Posted: Mar 05, 2018 2PM)
Genetics May Explain Why Some People Outperform Others When Deprived of Sleep
Front Line Genomics, Jan 15, 2018
(Posted: Jan 21, 2018 9AM)
Safe Sleep for Babies
CDC Vital Signs, Jan 9, 2018
(Posted: Jan 10, 2018 9AM)
About 3,500 babies in the US are lost to sleep-related deaths each year
CDC News Release, Jan 9, 2018
(Posted: Jan 10, 2018 9AM)
The genetics of circadian rhythms, sleep and health.
Jagannath Aarti et al. Human molecular genetics 2017 Oct (R2) R128-R138
(Posted: Jan 05, 2018 11AM)
The genetics of obstructive sleep apnoea.
Mukherjee Sutapa et al. Respirology (Carlton, Vic.) 2018 Jan (1) 18-27
(Posted: Jan 05, 2018 11AM)
To sleep or not: Researchers explore complex genetic network behind sleep duration
(Posted: Jan 05, 2018 11AM)
Myths and Facts About SIDS and Safe Infant Sleep
(Posted: Oct 16, 2017 6PM)
Getting Enough Sleep?
(Posted: Mar 27, 2016 5PM)
Distinct severity stages of obstructive sleep apnoea are correlated with unique dyslipidaemia: large-scale observational study.
Guan Jian et al. Thorax 2016 Feb
(Posted: Mar 07, 2016 1PM)
Always Tired? You May Have Sleep Apnea
FDA Information, March 2016
(Posted: Mar 07, 2016 1PM)
Scientists identify molecular link between sleep and mood
C Asher, Science, February 22, 2016
(Posted: Feb 23, 2016 6AM)
Genetics of Circadian Rhythms.
Andreani Tomas S et al. Sleep medicine clinics 2015 Dec (4) 413-21
(Posted: Feb 18, 2016 4PM)
Genetics of Sleep Disorders.
Gehrman Philip R et al. The Psychiatric clinics of North America 2015 Dec (4) 667-81
(Posted: Feb 18, 2016 4PM)
Prevalence of Healthy Sleep Duration among Adults — United States, 2014
CDC MMWR, February 19, 2016
(Posted: Feb 18, 2016 4PM)
Sleep-disordered breathing in Down syndrome.
Lal Chitra et al. Chest 2015 Feb (2) 570-9
(Posted: Aug 17, 2015 2PM)
Genetic Mutation In Heart Proteins May Be Why Some Experience Sudden Cardiac Death During Exercise And Sleep
Dana Dovey, Medical Express, July 16, 2015
(Posted: Jul 18, 2015 7PM)
The pathophysiology of insomnia.
Levenson Jessica C et al. Chest 2015 Apr (4) 1179-92
(Posted: Jul 01, 2015 2PM)
Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome
P Levy et al. Nature Reviews Disease Primers, June 25, 2015
(Posted: Jul 01, 2015 2PM)
Telomere length as a marker of sleep loss and sleep disturbances: a potential link between sleep and cellular senescence.
Tempaku Priscila F et al. Sleep Med. 2015 Feb 14.
(Posted: May 02, 2015 8AM)
CDC Information: More than one-quarter of the U.S. population report occasionally not getting enough sleep, while nearly 10% experience chronic insomnia
(Posted: Feb 25, 2015 0PM)
Are you getting enough sleep?
(Posted: Feb 25, 2015 0PM)
Heart Month 2015: We've come a long way but still have "miles to go before we sleep"
by Ross Dulmaine on February 16, 2015
(Posted: Feb 17, 2015 1PM)
High Blood Pressure
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
Also known as Hypertension
What Is
High blood pressure is a common disease in which blood flows through blood vessels (arteries) at higher than normal pressures.
Measuring Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood. High blood pressure, sometimes called hypertension, happens when this force is too high. Health care workers check blood pressure readings the same way for children, teens, and adults. They use a gauge, stethoscope or electronic sensor, and a blood pressure cuff. With this equipment, they measure:
?Systolic Pressure: blood pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood
?Diastolic Pressure: blood pressure when the heart is at rest between beats
Health care workers write blood pressure numbers with the systolic number above the diastolic number. For example:
118/76 mmHg
People read "118 over 76"
millimeters of mercury.
Normal Blood Pressure
Normal blood pressure for adults is defined as a systolic pressure below 120 mmHg and a diastolic pressure below 80 mmHg. It is normal for blood pressures to change when you sleep, wake up, or are excited or nervous. When you are active, it is normal for your blood pressure to increase. However, once the activity stops, your blood pressure returns to your normal baseline range.
Blood pressure normally rises with age and body size. Newborn babies often have very low blood pressure numbers that are considered normal for babies, while older teens have numbers similar to adults.
Abnormal Blood Pressure
Abnormal increases in blood pressure are defined as having blood pressures higher than 120/80 mmHg. The following table outlines and defines high blood pressure severity levels.
Stages of High Blood Pressure in Adults
Stages
Systolic
(top number)
Diastolic
(bottom number)
Prehypertension
120?139 OR 80?89
High blood pressure Stage 1
140?159 OR 90?99
High blood pressure Stage 2
160 or higher OR 100 or higher
The ranges in the table are blood pressure guides for adults who do not have any short-term serious illnesses. People with diabetes or chronic kidney disease should keep their blood pressure below 130/80 mmHg.
Although blood pressure increases seen in prehypertension are less than those used to diagnose high blood pressure, prehypertension can progress to high blood pressure and should be taken seriously. Over time, consistently high blood pressure weakens and damages your blood vessels, which can lead to complications.
Types of High Blood Pressure
There are two main types of high blood pressure: primary and secondary high blood pressure.
Primary High Blood Pressure
Primary, or essential, high blood pressure is the most common type of high blood pressure. This type of high blood pressure tends to develop over years as a person ages.
Secondary High Blood Pressure
Secondary high blood pressure is caused by another medical condition or use of certain medicines. This type usually resolves after the cause is treated or removed.
Other Names
High blood pressure (HBP) also is called hypertension (HI-per-TEN-shun).
When HBP has no known cause, it might be called essential hypertension, primary hypertension, or idiopathic (id-ee-o-PATH-ick) hypertension.
When another condition causes HBP, it's sometimes called secondary hypertension.
Some people only have high systolic blood pressure. This condition is called isolated systolic hypertension (ISH). Many older adults have this condition. ISH can cause as much harm as HBP in which both numbers are too high.
Hypotension
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
What Is
Hypotension (HI-po-TEN-shun) is abnormally low blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood.
Blood pressure is measured as systolic (sis-TOL-ik) and diastolic (di-a-STOL-ik) pressures. "Systolic" refers to blood pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood. "Diastolic" refers to blood pressure when the heart is at rest between beats.
You most often will see blood pressure numbers written with the systolic number above or before the diastolic number, such as 120/80 mmHg. (The mmHg is millimeters of mercury?the units used to measure blood pressure.)
Normal blood pressure in adults is lower than 120/80 mmHg. Hypotension is blood pressure that's lower than 90/60 mmHg.
Overview
Blood pressure doesn't stay the same all the time. It lowers as you sleep and rises when you wake up. Blood pressure also rises when you're excited, nervous, or active.
Your body is very sensitive to changes in blood pressure. For example, if you stand up quickly, your blood pressure may drop for a short time. Your body adjusts your blood pressure to make sure enough blood and oxygen are flowing to your brain, kidneys, and other vital organs.
Most forms of hypotension happen because your body can't bring blood pressure back to normal or can't do it fast enough.
Some people have low blood pressure all the time. They have no signs or symptoms, and their low blood pressure is normal for them.
In other people, certain conditions or factors cause abnormally low blood pressure. As a result, less blood and oxygen flow to the body's organs.
For the most part, hypotension is a medical concern only if it causes signs or symptoms or is linked to a serious condition, such as heart disease. Signs and symptoms of hypotension may include dizziness, fainting, cold and sweaty skin, fatigue (tiredness), blurred vision, or nausea (feeling sick to your stomach).
In extreme cases, hypotension can lead to shock.
Outlook
In a healthy person, low blood pressure without signs or symptoms usually isn't a problem and needs no treatment. If it causes signs or symptoms, your doctor will try to find and treat the condition that's causing it.
Hypotension can be dangerous. It can make you fall because of dizziness or fainting. Shock, a severe form of hypotension, is a condition that's often fatal if not treated right away. With prompt and proper treatment, shock can be successfully treated.
Other Names
?Low blood pressure
?Neurally mediated hypotension
?Neurogenic orthostatic hypotension
?Orthostatic hypotension
?Postprandial hypotension
?Postural hypotension
?Shock
Long QT Syndrome
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
What Is
Long QT syndrome (LQTS) is a disorder of the heart's electrical activity. It can cause sudden, uncontrollable, dangerous arrhythmias (ah-RITH-me-ahs) in response to exercise or stress. Arrhythmias are problems with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat.
People who have LQTS also can have arrhythmias for no known reason. However, not everyone who has LQTS has dangerous heart rhythms. When they do occur, though, they can be fatal.
What Does "Long QT" Mean?
The term "long QT" refers to an abnormal pattern seen on an EKG (electrocardiogram). An EKG is a test that detects and records the heart's electrical activity.
With each heartbeat, an electrical signal spreads from the top of your heart to the bottom. As it travels, the signal causes the heart to contract and pump blood. An EKG records electrical signals as they move through your heart.
Data from the EKG are mapped on a graph so your doctor can study your heart's electrical activity. Each heartbeat is mapped as five distinct electrical waves: P, Q, R, S, and T.
EKG
The image shows the standard setup for an EKG. In figure A, a normal heart rhythm recording shows the electrical pattern of a regular heartbeat. In figure B, a patient lies in a bed with EKG electrodes attached to his chest, upper arms, and legs. A nurse monitors the painless procedure.
The image shows the standard setup for an EKG. In figure A, a normal heart rhythm recording shows the electrical pattern of a regular heartbeat. In figure B, a patient lies in a bed with EKG electrodes attached to his chest, upper arms, and legs. A nurse monitors the painless procedure.
The electrical activity that occurs between the Q and T waves is called the QT interval. This interval shows electrical activity in the heart's lower chambers, the ventricles (VEN-trih-kuls).
The timing of the heart's electrical activity is complex, and the body carefully controls it. Normally the QT interval is about a third of each heartbeat cycle. However, in people who have LQTS, the QT interval lasts longer than normal.
A long QT interval can upset the careful timing of the heartbeat and trigger dangerous heart rhythms.
For more information about the heart's electrical system, go to the Health Topics How the Heart Works article.
Overview
On the surface of each heart muscle cell are tiny pores called ion channels. Ion channels open and close to let electrically charged sodium, calcium, and potassium atoms (ions) flow into and out of each cell. This generates the heart's electrical activity.
In people who have LQTS, the ion channels may not work well, or there may be too few of them. This may disrupt electrical activity in the heart's ventricles and cause dangerous arrhythmias.
LQTS often is inherited, which means you're born with the condition and have it your whole life. There are seven known types of inherited LQTS. The most common ones are LQTS 1, 2, and 3.
In LQTS 1, emotional stress or exercise (especially swimming) can trigger arrhythmias. In LQTS 2, extreme emotions, such as surprise, can trigger arrhythmias. In LQTS 3, a slow heart rate during sleep can trigger arrhythmias.
You also can acquire LQTS. This means you aren't born with the disorder, but you develop it during your lifetime. Some medicines and conditions can cause acquired LQTS. (For more information, go to "What Causes Long QT Syndrome?")
Outlook
More than half of the people who have untreated, inherited types of LQTS die within 10 years. However, lifestyle changes and medicines can help people who have LQTS prevent complications and live longer.
Some of these lifestyle changes and treatments include:
?Avoiding strenuous physical activity or startling noises.
?Adding more potassium to your diet (as your doctor advises).
?Taking heart medicines called beta blockers. These medicines help prevent sudden cardiac arrest.
?Having an implanted medical device, such as a pacemaker or implantable cardioverter defibrillator. These devices help control abnormal heart rhythms.
If you have LQTS, talk with your doctor about which lifestyle changes and treatments are best for you.
Other Names
?Jervell and Lange-Nielsen syndrome
?Romano-Ward syndrome
Vascular dementia
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
Also known as Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia
Vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia, is caused by conditions that damage the blood vessels in the brain or interfere with proper blood flow and oxygen delivery to the brain.
Overview
Vascular dementia is the second most common form of dementia, after Alzheimer?s disease, affecting almost a third of people over age 70. Dementia causes a decline in brain function, or cognitive abilities, beyond what is expected from the normal aging process. Dementia causes problems with memory, thinking, behavior, language skills, and decision making.
Vascular dementia is caused by conditions that damage the blood vessels in the brain, depriving the brain of oxygen. This oxygen shortage inhibits the brain?s ability to work as well as it should. For example, stroke blocks blood flow to the brain, decreasing oxygen. However, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and smoking also increase the risk of vascular dementia. Vascular dementia in patients can occur alone or with Alzheimer?s disease.
To diagnose cognitive impairment and dementia, your doctor will ask about problems you may have carrying out daily activities. Your doctor will give you brief memory or thinking tests and may ask to speak with a relative or friend who knows you well. To determine whether vascular dementia is the cause of any cognitive impairment or dementia that you may have, your doctor will consider your medical history and your lifestyle (such as your eating patterns, physical activity level, sleep health, and whether you are or have been a smoker), and order imaging tests. Diagnosis can take time. This is because it is often difficult to tell whether symptoms are a result of problems with the blood vessels, as is the case with vascular dementia, or whether they are from Alzheimer?s disease.
If your doctor diagnoses you with vascular dementia, your treatment plan may include taking medicine or using medical devices to manage other conditions, such as high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, or sleep apnea, that may cause your vascular dementia to worsen. Your doctor may also recommend that you adopt heart-healthy lifestyle changes, such as heart-healthy eating, which includes limiting alcohol, getting regular physical activity, aiming for a healthy weight; quitting smoking; and managing stress.
Asthma
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
What Is
Asthma (AZ-ma) is a chronic (long-term) lung disease that inflames and narrows the airways. Asthma causes recurring periods of wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), chest tightness, shortness of breath, and coughing. The coughing often occurs at night or early in the morning.
Asthma affects people of all ages, but it most often starts during childhood. In the United States, more than 25 million people are known to have asthma. About 7 million of these people are children.
Overview
To understand asthma, it helps to know how the airways work. The airways are tubes that carry air into and out of your lungs. People who have asthma have inflamed airways. The inflammation makes the airways swollen and very sensitive. The airways tend to react strongly to certain inhaled substances.
When the airways react, the muscles around them tighten. This narrows the airways, causing less air to flow into the lungs. The swelling also can worsen, making the airways even narrower. Cells in the airways might make more mucus than usual. Mucus is a sticky, thick liquid that can further narrow the airways.
This chain reaction can result in asthma symptoms. Symptoms can happen each time the airways are inflamed.
Asthma
Asthma diagram of the lungs.Figure A shows the location of the lungs and airways in the body. Figure B shows a cross-section of a normal airway. Figure C shows a cross-section of an airway during asthma symptoms.
Sometimes asthma symptoms are mild and go away on their own or after minimal treatment with asthma medicine. Other times, symptoms continue to get worse.
When symptoms get more intense and/or more symptoms occur, you're having an asthma attack. Asthma attacks also are called flareups or exacerbations (eg-zas-er-BA-shuns).
Treating symptoms when you first notice them is important. This will help prevent the symptoms from worsening and causing a severe asthma attack. Severe asthma attacks may require emergency care, and they can be fatal.
Outlook
Asthma has no cure. Even when you feel fine, you still have the disease and it can flare up at any time.
However, with today's knowledge and treatments, most people who have asthma are able to manage the disease. They have few, if any, symptoms. They can live normal, active lives and sleep through the night without interruption from asthma.
If you have asthma, you can take an active role in managing the disease. For successful, thorough, and ongoing treatment, build strong partnerships with your doctor and other health care providers.
Atelectasis
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
What Is
Atelectasis (at-uh-LEK-tuh-sis) is a condition in which one or more areas of your lungs collapse or don't inflate properly. If only a small area or a few small areas of the lungs are affected, you may have no signs or symptoms.
If a large area or several large areas of the lungs are affected, they may not be able to deliver enough oxygen to your blood. This can cause symptoms and complications.
Overview
To understand atelectasis, it helps to understand how the lungs work. Your lungs are organs in your chest that allow your body to take in oxygen from the air. They also help remove carbon dioxide (a waste gas that can be toxic) from your body.
When you breathe, air passes through your nose and mouth into your windpipe. The air then travels to your lungs' air sacs. These sacs are called alveoli (al-VEE-uhl-eye).
Small blood vessels called capillaries run through the walls of the air sacs. When air reaches the air sacs, the oxygen in the air passes through the air sac walls into the blood in the capillaries. At the same time, carbon dioxide moves from the capillaries into the air sacs. This process is called gas exchange.
The air sacs must remain open and filled with air for this process to work right. Surfactant (sur-FAK-tant), a liquid that coats the inside of the lungs, helps the air sacs stay open. Deep breathing and coughing also help keep the air sacs open. (Coughing helps clear mucus and other substances from your airways.)
In atelectasis, part of the lung collapses or doesn't inflate. The air sacs in that part of the lung are no longer filled with air. As a result, they can't take part in gas exchange.
If only a small area or a few small areas of the lungs are affected, you may have no signs or symptoms. This is because the rest of the lung can bring in enough oxygen to make up for the collapsed part of the lung.
If atelectasis affects a large area or several large areas of the lungs, your body's organs and tissues may not get enough oxygen-rich blood.
Conditions and factors that keep the lungs from properly expanding and filling with air can cause atelectasis. For example, atelectasis is very common after surgery.
The medicine used during surgery to temporarily put you to sleep can decrease or stop your normal effort to breathe and urge to cough. Sometimes, especially after chest or abdominal surgery, pain may keep you from wanting to take deep breaths. As a result, part of your lungs may collapse or not inflate right.
Outlook
The outlook for atelectasis depends on its cause. In adults, atelectasis often is short term. The collapsed air sacs slowly refill with air once the cause of the atelectasis is resolved.
If atelectasis persists, it may prevent the lung from properly clearing mucus. This can lead to infections (such as pneumonia).
Atelectasis usually isn't life threatening. However, if it affects a large area of the lungs?especially in a baby, small child, or someone who has another lung disease or illness?it can be fatal if not treated quickly.
Other Names
?Closed lung
?Partial lung collapse
CPAP
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
Also known as Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a treatment that uses mild air pressure to keep your breathing airways open.
Overview
It involves using a CPAP machine that includes a mask or other device that fits over your nose or your nose and mouth, straps to position the mask, a tube that connects the mask to the machine?s motor, and a motor that blows air into the tube. CPAP is used to treat sleep-related breathing disorders including sleep apnea. It also may be used to treat preterm infants who have underdeveloped lungs.
If your doctor prescribes CPAP over other treatment options for your sleep apnea, your insurance will work with a medical device company to provide you with a CPAP machine and the disposable mask and tube. Your doctor will set up your machine with certain pressure settings. After using your machine for a while, your doctor and possibly your insurance company will want to check the data card from your machine to confirm that you are using your CPAP device and to see if the machine and its pressure settings are working to reduce or eliminate apnea events while you sleep.
For the treatment to work, you should use your CPAP machine every time you sleep at home, while traveling, and during naps. Getting used to using your CPAP machine can take time and requires patience. Your doctor may need to adjust your pressure settings for you. You may have to work with your sleep doctor to find the most comfortable mask that works best for you, to try the humidifier chamber in your machine, or to use a different CPAP machine that allows multiple or auto-adjusting pressure settings.
Some patients notice immediate improvements after starting CPAP treatment, such as better sleep quality, reduction or elimination of snoring, and less daytime sleepiness. Equally important are the long-term benefits that you cannot notice, such as helping to prevent or control high blood pressure, lowering your risk for stroke, and improving memory and other cognitive function.
Side effects of CPAP treatment may include congestion, runny nose, dry mouth, or nosebleeds. If you experience stomach discomfort or bloating, you should stop using your CPAP machine and contact your doctor immediately. Some masks can cause irritation. Your doctor can help you find ways to relieve these symptoms and adjust to using your CPAP machine. It is important that you clean your mask and tube every day and refill your medical device prescription at the right time to replace the mask and tube to ensure the treatment continues to work.
Cough
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
A cough is your body?s natural reflex to help clear your airways of irritants and prevent infection.
Overview
Common irritants include smoke, mucus, or allergens such as pollen, mold, or dust. Some medical conditions or medicines irritate the nerve endings in your airways and cause coughing.
A cough may be acute, subacute, or chronic depending on how long it lasts. Acute coughs last less than three weeks and usually are caused by the common cold or other infections such as sinusitis or pneumonia. Subacute coughs last three to eight weeks and remain after the initial cold or respiratory infection is over. Chronic coughs last more than eight weeks and can be caused by gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), postnasal drip from sinus infections or allergies, or chronic lung conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis, and interstitial lung diseases.
Your doctor will consider your medical history, physical exam, and test results when diagnosing and treating cough. Quitting smoking and avoiding smoke, other irritants, or certain medicines may help relieve your cough. Medicines to control coughing are usually used only for coughs that cause extreme discomfort or interfere with sleep. Talk to your doctor about how to treat your child?s cough.
Insomnia
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
What Is
Insomnia (in-SOM-ne-ah) is a common sleep disorder. People who have insomnia have trouble falling asleep, staying asleep, or both. As a result, they may get too little sleep or have poor-quality sleep. They may not feel refreshed when they wake up.
Overview
Insomnia can be acute (short-term) or chronic (ongoing). Acute insomnia is common and often is brought on by situations such as stress at work, family pressures, or a traumatic event. Acute insomnia lasts for days or weeks.
Chronic insomnia lasts for a month or longer. Most cases of chronic insomnia are secondary, which means they are the symptom or side effect of some other problem. Certain medical conditions, medicines, sleep disorders, and substances can cause secondary insomnia.
In contrast, primary insomnia isn't due to medical problems, medicines, or other substances. It is its own distinct disorder, and its cause isn?t well understood. Many life changes can trigger primary insomnia, including long-lasting stress and emotional upset.
Insomnia can cause daytime sleepiness and a lack of energy. It also can make you feel anxious, depressed, or irritable. You may have trouble focusing on tasks, paying attention, learning, and remembering. These problems can prevent you from doing your best at work or school.
Insomnia also can cause other serious problems. For example, you may feel drowsy while driving, which could lead to an accident.
Outlook
Treating the underlying cause of secondary insomnia may resolve or improve the sleep problem, especially if you can correct the problem soon after it starts. For example, if caffeine is causing your insomnia, stopping or limiting your intake of the substance might make the insomnia go away.
Lifestyle changes, including better sleep habits, often help relieve acute insomnia. For chronic insomnia, your doctor may recommend medicines or cognitive-behavioral therapy.
Narcolepsy
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
What Is
Narcolepsy (NAR-ko-lep-se) is a disorder that causes periods of extreme daytime sleepiness. The disorder also may cause muscle weakness.
Most people who have narcolepsy have trouble sleeping at night. Some people who have the disorder fall asleep suddenly, even if they're in the middle of talking, eating, or another activity.
Narcolepsy also can cause:
?Cataplexy (KAT-ah-plek-se). This condition causes a sudden loss of muscle tone while you're awake. Muscle weakness can affect certain parts of your body or your whole body. For example, if cataplexy affects your hand, you may drop what you're holding. Strong emotions often trigger this weakness. It may last seconds or minutes.
?Hallucinations (ha-lu-sih-NA-shuns). These vivid dreams occur while falling asleep or waking up.
?Sleep paralysis (pah-RAL-ih-sis). This condition prevents you from moving or speaking while waking up and sometimes while falling asleep. Sleep paralysis usually goes away within a few minutes.
Overview
The two main phases of sleep are nonrapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). Most people are in the NREM phase when they first fall asleep. After about 90 minutes of sleep, most people go from NREM to REM sleep.
Dreaming occurs during the REM phase of sleep. During REM, your muscles normally become limp. This prevents you from acting out your dreams. (For more information about sleep cycles, go to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's "Your Guide to Healthy Sleep.")
People who have narcolepsy often fall into REM sleep quickly and wake up directly from it. As a result, they may have vivid dreams while falling asleep and waking up.
Hypocretin (hi-po-KREET-in), a chemical in the brain, helps promote wakefulness. Most people who have narcolepsy have low levels of this chemical. What causes these low levels isn't well understood.
Researchers think that certain factors may work together to cause a lack of hypocretin. These factors may include heredity, infections, brain injuries, and autoimmune disorders. (Autoimmune disorders occur if the body's immune system mistakenly attacks the body's cells and tissues.)
Outlook
Narcolepsy symptoms usually begin during the teen or young adult years. People who have narcolepsy may find it hard to function at school, work, home, and in social situations because of extreme tiredness.
Narcolepsy has no cure, but medicines, lifestyle changes, and other therapies can improve symptoms. Research is ongoing on the causes of narcolepsy and new ways to treat it.
Obesity Hypoventilation Syndrome
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
Also known as Pickwickian Syndrome
What Is
Obesity hypoventilation (HI-po-ven-tih-LA-shun) syndrome (OHS) is a breathing disorder that affects some obese people. In OHS, poor breathing results in too much carbon dioxide (hypoventilation) and too little oxygen in the blood (hypoxemia).
OHS sometimes is called Pickwickian syndrome.
Overview
To understand OHS, it helps to understand how the lungs work. When you breathe, air passes through your nose and mouth into your windpipe. The air then travels to your lungs' air sacs. These sacs are called alveoli (al-VEE-uhl-eye).
Small blood vessels called capillaries (KAP-ih-lare-ees) run through the walls of the air sacs. When air reaches the air sacs, oxygen passes through the air sac walls into the blood in the capillaries. At the same time, carbon dioxide moves from the capillaries into the air sacs. This process is called gas exchange.
In people who have OHS, poor breathing prevents proper gas exchange. As a result, the level of carbon dioxide in the blood rises. Also, the level of oxygen in the blood drops.
These changes can lead to serious health problems, such as leg edema (e-DE-mah), pulmonary hypertension (PULL-mun-ary HI-per-TEN-shun), cor pulmonale (pul-meh-NAL-e), and secondary erythrocytosis (eh-RITH-ro-si-TOE-sis). If left untreated, OHS can even be fatal.
The cause of OHS isn't fully known. Researchers think that several factors may work together to cause the disorder.
Many people who have OHS also have obstructive sleep apnea. Obstructive sleep apnea is a common disorder in which the airway collapses or is blocked during sleep. This causes pauses in breathing or shallow breaths while you sleep.
Obstructive sleep apnea disrupts your sleep and causes you to feel very tired during the day. (For more information, go to the Health Topics Sleep Apnea article.)
Outlook
Doctors treat OHS in a number of ways. One way is with positive airway pressure (PAP) machines, which are used during sleep.
PAP therapy uses mild air pressure to keep your airways open. Your doctor might recommend CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) or BiPAP (bilevel positive airway pressure).
If your doctor prescribes PAP therapy, you'll work with someone from a home equipment provider to select a CPAP or BiPAP machine. The home equipment provider will help you select a machine based on your prescription and the features that meet your needs.
Other treatments for OHS include ventilator (VEN-til-a-tor) support and medicines. (A ventilator is a machine that supports breathing.)
OHS occurs with obesity, so your doctor will likely recommend weight loss as part of your treatment plan. Successful weight loss often involves setting goals and making lifestyle changes, such as following a healthy diet and being physically active.
OHS can lead to other serious health problems, so following your treatment plan is important. Your health care team, home equipment provider, and family can help you manage your treatment.
Sleep Studies
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
Also known as Polysomnography
Sleep studies are painless, noninvasive tests that measure how well you sleep and how your body responds to sleep problems.
Overview
The more common sleep studies monitor and record data about your body during a full night of sleep. Other types of sleep studies include multiple sleep latency and daytime maintenance of wakefulness tests. Multiple sleep latency tests measure how quickly you fall asleep during a series of daytime naps and use sensors to record your brain activity and eye movements. A daytime maintenance of wakefulness test measures your ability to stay awake and alert.
Sleep studies can help your doctor diagnose sleep-related breathing disorders such as sleep apnea, sleep-related seizure disorders, sleep-related movement disorders, and sleep disorders that cause extreme daytime tiredness such as narcolepsy. Doctors also may use sleep studies to help diagnose or rule out restless legs syndrome.
Your doctor will determine whether you must have your sleep study at a sleep center or if you can do it at home with a portable diagnostic device. If your sleep study will be done at a sleep center, you will sleep in a bed at the sleep center for the duration of the study. Removable sensors will be placed on your scalp, face, eyelids, chest, limbs, and a finger. These sensors record your brain waves, heart rate, breathing effort and rate, oxygen levels, and muscle movements before, during, and after sleep. There is a small risk of irritation from the sensors, but this will go away after they are removed.
Your doctor will review your sleep study test results and develop a treatment plan for any diagnosed sleep disorder. Untreated sleep disorders can raise your risk for heart failure, high blood pressure, stroke, diabetes, and depression. Sleep disorders also have been linked to an increased risk for injury and car accidents.
Restless Legs Syndrome
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
What Is
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a disorder that causes a strong urge to move your legs. This urge to move often occurs with strange and unpleasant feelings in your legs. Moving your legs relieves the urge and the unpleasant feelings.
People who have RLS describe the unpleasant feelings as creeping, crawling, pulling, itching, tingling, burning, aching, or electric shocks. Sometimes, these feelings also occur in the arms.
The urge to move and unpleasant feelings happen when you're resting and inactive. Thus, they tend to be worse in the evening and at night.
Overview
RLS can make it hard to fall asleep and stay asleep. It may make you feel tired and sleepy during the day. This can make it hard to learn, work, and do other daily activities. Not getting enough sleep also can cause depression, mood swings, or other health problems.
RLS can range from mild to severe based on:
?The strength of your symptoms and how often they occur
?How easily moving around relieves your symptoms
?How much your symptoms disturb your sleep
One type of RLS usually starts early in life (before 45 years of age) and tends to run in families. It may even start in childhood. Once this type of RLS starts, it usually lasts for the rest of your life. Over time, symptoms slowly get worse and occur more often. If you have a mild case, you may have long periods with no symptoms.
Another type of RLS usually starts later in life (after 45 years of age). It generally doesn't run in families. This type of RLS tends to have a more abrupt onset. The symptoms usually don't get worse over time.
Some diseases, conditions, and medicines may trigger RLS. For example, the disorder has been linked to kidney failure, Parkinson's disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, pregnancy, and iron deficiency. When a disease, condition, or medicine causes RLS, the symptoms usually start suddenly.
Medical conditions or medicines often cause or worsen the type of RLS that starts later in life.
Outlook
RLS symptoms often get worse over time. However, some people's symptoms go away for weeks to months.
If a medical condition or medicine triggers RLS, the disorder may go away if the trigger is relieved or stopped. For example, RLS that occurs due to pregnancy tends to go away after giving birth. Kidney transplants (but not dialysis) relieve RLS linked to kidney failure.
Treatments for RLS include lifestyle changes and medicines. Some simple lifestyle changes often help relieve mild cases of RLS. Medicines often can relieve or prevent the symptoms of more severe RLS.
Research is ongoing to better understand the causes of RLS and to find better treatments.
Sleep Apnea
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
Sleep apnea is a common condition in the United States. It can occur when the upper airway becomes blocked repeatedly during sleep, reducing or completely stopping airflow. This is known as obstructive sleep apnea. If the brain does not send the signals needed to breathe, the condition may be called central sleep apnea.
Healthcare providers use sleep studies to diagnose sleep apnea. They record the number of episodes of slow or stopped breathing and the number of central sleep apnea events detected in an hour. They also determine whether oxygen levels in the blood are lower during these events.
Breathing devices such as continuous positive air pressure (CPAP) machines and lifestyle changes are common sleep apnea treatments. Undiagnosed or untreated sleep apnea can lead to serious complications such as heart attack, glaucoma, diabetes, cancer, and cognitive and behavioral disorders.
Explore this Health Topic to learn more about sleep apnea, our role in research and clinical trials to improve health, and where to find more information.
National Center on Sleep Disorders Research
From NHLBI health topic site
(Posted: Jan 01, 2014 0AM)
Located within the Division of Lung Diseases of the NHLBI, the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research (NCSDR) was established in 1993 to foster the coordination of sleep and circadian research within NIH and other Federal agencies. Insufficient sleep and under-treatment of sleep disorders is a national health concern that causes a substantial economic burden to the U.S. economy each year due to accidents and lost productivity.
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From NCATS Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center
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Glaucoma sleep apnea
From NCATS Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center
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Advanced sleep phase syndrome, familial
From NCATS Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center
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From NCATS Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center
(Posted: Jan 01, 2011 0AM)