| 1. |
- Alonderis, A, et al.
(författare)
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Medico-legal implications of sleep apnoea syndrome: Driving license regulations in Europe.
- 2008
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Ingår i: Sleep medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 1389-9457 .- 1878-5506. ; 9:4, s. 362-75
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS), one of the main medical causes of excessive daytime sleepiness, has been shown to be a risk factor for traffic accidents. Treating SAS results in a normalized rate of traffic accidents. As part of the COST Action B-26, we looked at driving license regulations, and especially at its medical aspects in the European region. METHODS: We obtained data from Transport Authorities in 25 countries (Austria, AT; Belgium, BE; Czech Republic, CZ; Denmark, DK; Estonia, EE; Finland, FI; France, FR; Germany, DE; Greece, GR; Hungary, HU; Ireland, IE; Italy, IT; Lithuania, LT; Luxembourg, LU; Malta, MT; Netherlands, NL; Norway, EC; Poland, PL; Portugal, PT; Slovakia, SK; Slovenia, SI; Spain, ES; Sweden, SE; Switzerland, CH; United Kingdom, UK). RESULTS: Driving license regulations date from 1997 onwards. Excessive daytime sleepiness is mentioned in nine, whereas sleep apnoea syndrome is mentioned in 10 countries. A patient with untreated sleep apnoea is always considered unfit to drive. To recover the driving capacity, seven countries rely on a physician's medical certificate based on symptom control and compliance with therapy, whereas in two countries it is up to the patient to decide (on his doctor's advice) to drive again. Only FR requires a normalized electroencephalography (EEG)-based Maintenance of Wakefulness Test for professional drivers. Rare conditions (e.g., narcolepsy) are considered a driving safety risk more frequently than sleep apnoea syndrome. CONCLUSION: Despite the available scientific evidence, most countries in Europe do not include sleep apnoea syndrome or excessive daytime sleepiness among the specific medical conditions to be considered when judging whether or not a person is fit to drive. A unified European Directive seems desirable.
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| 3. |
- Neuman, Åsa, et al.
(författare)
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Dyspnea in relation to symptoms of anxiety and depression : A prospective population study
- 2006
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Ingår i: Respiratory Medicine. - : Elsevier BV. - 0954-6111 .- 1532-3064. ; 100:10, s. 1843-1849
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Respiratory symptoms are related to anxiety and depression in several cross-sectional studies but the association has not been explored in longitudinal studies. Study objectives: To prospectively study the change in dyspnea in relation to symptoms of anxiety and depression over a 9-year time period. Methods: The study comprised of 515 adults from a population sample who had participated in the European Commission Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) I in 1991-1992 and in the ECRHS II in 1999-2000. The questionnaire included a modified British Medical Research Council Scale for dyspnea grading and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale questionnaire. Results: The prevalence of dyspnea was 10.7% in the first and 12.6% in the second survey. Symptoms of depression was an independent determinants for dyspnea in both surveys (OR (95% CI) 3.72 (1.51-9.17) and 3.40 (1.49-7.80), respectively). In subjects that did not have dyspnea at the first survey onset of symptoms of anxiety (OR 3.53 (1.03-12.1)) and depression (OR 12.2 (3.97-37.5)) were significantly related to having dyspnea at the second survey, whereas onset of dyspnea was not significantly associated with developing symptoms of anxiety or depression when each disorder was entered separately. Conclusion: Our data indicates that there is a causal relationship between development of symptoms of anxiety and depression and dyspnea. Psychological status is therefore an important factor to consider both when evaluating the results of epidemiological respiratory studies and in clinical settings when treating patients that have dyspnea.
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| 4. |
- Vanderveken, Olivier M, et al.
(författare)
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Comparison of a custom-made and a thermoplastic oral appliance for the treatment of mild sleep apnea
- 2008
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Ingår i: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. - New York : American Lung Association. - 1073-449X .- 1535-4970. ; 178:2, s. 197-202
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rationale: The efficacy of immediate adaptation of mandibular advancement devices made of thermoplastic material as a treatment option for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) has been demonstrated in clinical studies. To date, there have been no studies comparing the efficacy of such prefabricated devices with custom-made devices. Objectives: Our purpose was to compare the efficacy of both types of devices in patients with SDB. Methods: A randomized controlled cross-over trial, comprising 4 months of treatment with a thermoplastic and a custom-made device, with a 1-month washout interval. Measurements and Main Results: A total of 35 patients (29 males; age, 49 ± 9 yr; apnea–hypopnea index [AHI], 13 ± 11 events/h; body mass index, 28 ± 4 kg/m2) completed the protocol. AHI was only reduced with the custom-madedevice (P = 0.005). In addition, this device reduced snoring to a greater extent than the thermoplastic device. The success rate was higher with the custom-made device (60 vs. 31%; P = 0.02). One-third of the patients demonstrated compliance failure with the thermoplastic device, mainly because of insufficient overnight retention. Total failure rate with the thermoplastic device was 69%, whereas the majority (63%) of these were successfully treated with the custom-made device. At the end of the study, 82% of the patients preferred the custom-made device, and 9% had no preference (P < 0.0001). Conclusions: In this study, a custom-made device turned out to be more effective than a thermoplastic device in the treatment of SDB. Our results suggest that the thermoplastic device cannot be recommended as a therapeutic option nor can it be used as a screening tool to find good candidates for mandibular advancement therapy.
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| 5. |
- Castro-Giner, F., et al.
(författare)
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Joint effect of obesity and TNFA variability on asthma : two international cohort studies
- 2009
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Ingår i: European Respiratory Journal. - : European Respiratory Society (ERS). - 0903-1936 .- 1399-3003. ; 33:5, s. 1003-1009
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Obesity is a risk factor for asthma. Adipose tissue expresses pro-inflammatory molecules including tumour necrosis factor (TNF), and levels of TNF are also related to polymorphisms in the TNF-alpha (TNFA) gene. The current authors examined the joint effect of obesity and TNFA variability on asthma in adults by combining two population-based studies. The European Community Respiratory Health Survey and the Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Disease in Adults used comparable protocols, questionnaires and measures of lung function and atopy. DNA samples from 9,167 participants were genotyped for TNFA -308 and lymphotoxin-alpha (LTA) +252 gene variants. Obesity and TNFA were associated with asthma when mutually adjusting for their independent effects (odds ratio (OR) for obesity 2.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.7-3.2; OR for TNFA -308 polymorphism 1.3, 95% CI 1.1-1.6). The association of obesity with asthma was stronger for subjects carrying the G/A and A/A TNFA -308 genotypes compared with the more common G/G genotype, particularly among nonatopics (OR for G/A and A/A genotypes 6.1, 95% CI 2.5-14.4; OR for G/G genotype 1.7, 95% CI 0.8-3.3). The present findings provide, for the first time, evidence for a complex pattern of interaction between obesity, a pro-inflammatory genetic factor and asthma.
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| 6. |
- Castro-Giner, F, et al.
(författare)
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TNFA -308G>A in two international population-based cohorts and risk of asthma
- 2008
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Ingår i: European Respiratory Journal. - Sheffield : European respiratory society journals. - 0903-1936 .- 1399-3003. ; 32:2, s. 350-361
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Genetic association studies have related the tumour necrosis factor-alpha gene (TNFA) guanine to adenine substitution of nucleotide -308 (-308G>A) polymorphism to increased risk of asthma, but results are inconsistent. The aim of the present study was to test whether two single-nucleotide polymorphisms, of TNFA and of the lymphotoxin-alpha gene (LTA), are associated with asthma, bronchial hyperresponsiveness and atopy in adults, by combining the results of two large population-based multicentric studies and conducting a meta-analysis of previously published studies. The European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) and Swiss Cohort Study on Air Pollution and Lung and Heart Diseases in Adults (SAPALDIA) used comparable protocols, including questionnaires for respiratory symptoms and measures of lung function and atopy. DNA samples from 11,136 participants were genotyped at TNFA -308 and LTA 252. Logistic regression employing fixed and random effects models and nonparametric techniques were used. The prevalence of asthma was 6%. The TNFA -308G>A polymorphism was associated with increased asthma prevalence and with bronchial hyperresponsiveness. No consistent association was found for atopy. The LTA 252A>G polymorphism was not associated with any of the outcomes. A meta-analysis of 17 studies showed an increased asthma risk for the TNFA -308 adenine allele. The tumour necrosis factor-alpha gene nucleotide -308 polymorphism is associated with a moderately increased risk of asthma and bronchial hyperresponsiveness, but not with atopy. These results are supported by a meta-analysis of previously published studies.
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| 7. |
- Franklin, Karl A, et al.
(författare)
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Effects and side-effects of surgery for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea--a systematic review
- 2009
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Ingår i: Sleep. - : The Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC. - 0161-8105 .- 1550-9109. ; 32:1, s. 27-36
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Only a small number of randomized controlled trials with a limited number of patients assessing some surgical modalities for snoring or sleep apnea are available. These studies do not provide any evidence of effect from laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty or radiofrequency ablation on daytime sleepiness, apnea reduction, quality of life or snoring. We call for research of randomized, controlled trials of surgery other than uvulopalatopharyngoplasty and uvulopalatoplasty, as they are related to a high risk of long-term side-effects, especially difficulty swallowing.
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| 8. |
- Kesek, Milos, et al.
(författare)
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Heart rate variability during sleep and sleep apnoea in a population based study of 387 women
- 2009
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Ingår i: Clinical Physiology and Functional Imaging. - 1475-0961 .- 1475-097X. ; 29:4, s. 309-315
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Increased sympathetic activity during sleep has been suggested as a link between obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome and cardiovascular disease. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a measure of autonomic effect on the heart. Different parameters have been associated with sympathetic and parasympathetic activity. We have studied HRV in different sleep stages and related the HRV-pattern to sleep apnoea in a population-based sample of 387 women. We investigated the HRV-parameters standard deviation of all R-R intervals (SDNN), root of the averaged square of successive differences (RMSSD), low frequency component (LF), high frequency component (HF), ratio of low frequency component to high frequency component LF/HF and VSAI [variation in sympathetic activity between rapid eye movement (REM) and slow wave sleep, defined as LF(REM)-LF(SWS)]. The HRV-parameters were compared with the results of a full-night polysomnography. Hourly incidence of obstructive episodes was used for classifying the subjects into four apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI)-groups (<5, > or =5 and <15, 15-30 and >30 events). Individual sleep stages were analysed by pooling all recordings. Women with high AHI had higher heart rate and LF/HF ratio. In subjects with AHI >30, LF/HF ratio however dropped to same level as with AHI <5. Subjects with high AHI had low VSAI. Levels of SDNN, LF and LF/HF ratio during REM and light sleep were similar to wakefulness. In slow wave sleep the parameters decreased. In conclusion, moderately increased prevalence of obstructive apnoeas was associated with signs of higher sympathetic activity. High AHI was however associated with a HRV-pattern suggestive of depressed sympathetic drive and lowered ability to increase it during REM.
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