Insomnia Plus Obstructive Sleep Apnea Adds Up to ‘Uniquely Complex’ Combo
People with insomnia and concomitant obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) represented a fairly common, medically complex group for whom current approaches may be suboptimal, according to one study. Nationally representative data tallied over 1.07 million Americans with insomnia alone, over 1.27 million with OSA alone, and over 157,000 with comorbid insomnia and OSA, so-called “COMISA.” Results […]
Female Reproductive Factors Linked to COPD Risk
Female reproductive factors were associated with risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), including age at menarche, number of children, miscarriage, stillbirth, and age at natural menopause, according to an analysis of three cohorts. Among nearly 300,000 women, a U-shaped association was observed between age at menarche and COPD (≤11 vs 13 years: HR 1.17, […]
Telehealth, Default Orders Show Promise in Palliative Care
A palliative telecare intervention improved quality of life for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure (HF), and interstitial lung disease (ILD), the ADAPT randomized clinical trial found. Patient phone calls with a nurse and social worker — who met separately with a primary care and palliative care physician and specialists as needed […]
Gabapentinoids in COPD Patients May Raise Risk for Severe Exacerbations
Gabapentinoid use in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was associated with a higher risk for severe exacerbations, a population-based cohort study from Canada indicated. Among more than 27,000 COPD patients, those who started therapy with the anticonvulsant for either epilepsy, neuropathic pain, or some other form of chronic pain had a 39% greater […]
For Kids, Sleep Study Needed to Parse out the Kind of Snoring That Means Surgery
Mild obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was not easily distinguishable from primary snoring in children without polysomnography, analysis of randomized clinical trial data showed. The only clinical and demographic factors significantly more commonly associated with mild OSA than primary snoring were Black race (OR 2.08), obesity (OR 1.80), and high urinary cotinine levels above of 5 […]
Acetazolamide May Help COPD Patients Reach New Heights
Acetazolamide may prevent some patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) from suffering altitude-related adverse health effects (ARAHE) when traveling, a randomized controlled trial showed. In patients with moderate to severe COPD traveling to and staying for 2 days at 3,100 m, ARAHE occurred in 50% of those taking acetazolamide compared with 74% of those […]
Positive Airway Pressure Linked to Less Late-Night Heart Burn Problems
Positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was linked to reduced respiratory symptoms and nocturnal gastroesophageal reflux (nGER), an Icelandic study found. After 2 years, full PAP users reported a decrease in both nGER (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.58, 95% CI 0.40-0.86) and wheezing (aOR 0.56, 95% CI 0.35-0.88) compared with non-users, […]
Surgery May Improve Dysphagia Outcomes in Kids With Sleep Apnea
Undergoing adenotonsillectomy may improve dysphagia outcomes in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and tonsil hypertrophy compared with watchful waiting with supportive care (WWSC), a secondary analysis of the randomized CHAT trial suggested. After 7 months, the prevalence of dysphagia — difficulty in swallowing — decreased by 21.3% (95% CI 13.5-28.9) in patients who underwent […]
Noninvasive Nerve Stimulator May Ease Sleep Apnea
Using a transcutaneous electrical neurostimulator (TENS) machine may reduce the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in people not adhering to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, a small single-center randomized trial suggested. After 3 months, the difference in apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) scores in unadjusted analysis significantly favored the TENS group versus the usual-care group […]
Mucus Plugs in Airways of COPD Patients Linked to Higher Mortality
WASHINGTON — Mucus plugs obstructing the airways of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) were associated with higher all-cause mortality compared with no mucus plugs, according to an observational retrospective analysis. Over a median 9.5-year follow-up, mortality rates were 34.0%, 46.7%, and 54.1% in patients who had mucus plugs in zero, one to two, […]