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Dentistry News: Sleep Apnea Often Undiagnosed in Type 2 Diabetes Patients

May 21st, 2009 · No Comments

Diabetes is the seventh greatest cause of death in the United States. Over half of obese/overweight Americans have diabetes.

shutterstock_22594447In a recent study called Sleep AHEAD, 87% of obese patients with type 2 diabetes showed symptoms of sleep apnea, but they were not diagnosed.

 Without diagnosis and treatment, these patients face increased risk for heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and other serious health problems. For many years now, the medical community has known that obesity is associated with sleep apnea, so why the lack of diagnosis? Dr. Gary Foster, director of Temple University’s Center for Obesity Research and Education, says this “constitutes a serious public health problem” in a release at EurekaAlert!

In Sleep AHEAD, researchers found:

  • 86.6% of participants had undiagnosed sleep apnea
  • 30% stopped breathing 16-20 times perhour
  • 22% eperienced breathing cessation more than 30 times each hour; this signifies severe sleep apnea
  • Participants with a greater waist circumfrence and BMI had a more significant sleep apnea condition

Tags: Clinical

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