Current News
Obstructive Sleep Apnoea
There have been two interesting meetings at the Royal Society of Medicine this month- one on Obstructive Sleep Apnoea; the other on Sleep problems and the Law. Unfortunately the latter was under Chatham House Rules- i.e., I am unable to report it!
Sleep apnoea is already known to be associated with high blood pressure, development of diabetes, heart problems, and cognitive deficiency such as problems of memory and likely reduces the body’s resistance to cancers. Dr Matthew Hind, Consultant Respiratory Physician at the Brompton Hospital, drew attention to another concern related to sleep apnoea – that of atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is a condition of the heart whereby the pulse becomes ‘irregularly irregular’ and is a potential cause of stroke. The condition is so highly associated that in USA cardiologists are regularly performing sleep studies to exclude sleep apnoea as a cause. Sleep apnoea (effectively repetitively stopping breathing) typically occurs in overweight snorers and is best observed in the latter part of the night when dream sleep occurs. Atrial fibrillation may give symptoms of palpitation (awareness of heart beat) or otherwise unexplained dizziness or faintness.
