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Sleep Disorders News & Links |
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There is an unnecessarily high death rate directly attributable to sleep disorders. A recent report called “Dead Tired” concluded that sleep disorders cause 20 percent of accidents on UK motorways (more than alcohol related accidents). In addition to the obvious human misery caused by fatal road accidents it is of note that government statistics for each fatal accident details cost of about £1 million, given the cost of emergency services & the cost of any subsequent inquiry. Insomnia is a significant cause of morbidity & mortality. Wingard DL & Berkman LF. Mortality risk associated with sleeping patterns amongst adults. Sleep 1983; 6: 102-107
Insomniacs are more than twice as likely as the general population to have a fatigue-related motor vehicle accident. The mortality rate appears to be higher in patients who get less than 5 hours of sleep per night than in the general population.
Sleep Apnoea increases heart disease mortality.
A new study shows that sleep
apnoea increased short-term mortality in patients with heart failure. Researchers in Australia studied a group of patients with heart failure awaiting heart transplantation. They found that those with sleep apnoea were more likely to die in the short term – within one to two years – than those who did not have this disorder. Further research is now needed into the relationship between sleep apnoea & heart failure. European Respiratory Journal May 2004 The long term prognosis of people with untreated severe sleep apnoea is poor with respect to quality of life, likelihood of motor vehicle accidents, hypertension, & possibly cardiovascular disease & premature mortality. Redline S. Morbidity, mortality & public health burden of sleep apnea. In: McNicholas WT, Phillipson EA, eds. Breathing disorders in sleep. London, UK: WB Saunders, 2002:222–235. Mortality/Morbidity: Retrospective data indicate that mortality rate is higher in patients with an apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] greater than 20 per hour than in those with an AHI less than 20 per hour. Groups treated with tracheostomy or nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), however, had no premature deaths. Continuous Positive Airway Pressure is the treatment of choice for Sleep Apnoea. (External Link) “By & large, I believe, this study speaks for itself, & tells a story that all people with sleep apnoea should listen to with attention. They have, overall, no higher mortality risk, with treatment, than the general population. Without treatment, this no longer appears to hold true: non-compliance is a significant predictor of death. Those who have other predictors of mortality risk should take special care with treatment: people who know themselves to have cardiac or respiratory disease apart from sleep apnoea, those with impaired respiratory function as tested while awake, those with substantial oxygen desaturation while asleep, those with bouts of depression & suicidal ideas, those who have had auto accidents or near-misses. Everyone with sleep apnoea, but especially those with these indicators of high mortality risk, should do their utmost to get treatment & continue treatment”. Published in European Respiratory Journal 2000; 15: 326-331 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Click on the links below:
Most sleep disorders are undiagnosed & patients are not treated. There is an unnecessarily high death rate directly attributable to sleep disorders. (Current Page). Co-morbidity caused by sleep disorders causes a huge burden on our health care system.
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