Prostate Cancer Screening and Sleep Apnea Screening

[roster]

Someday there will be many people thanking Dr. Park for the work he is doing to get change in how medicine is practiced. Here is his press release from today. Let's see if it gets wide distribution in the press.

New York Doctor Calls for Universal Sleep Apnea Screening


A New York City physician argues that every American should undergo screening for obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that afflicts about 18 million people, if not more.

New York, NY, November 01, 2009 --(PR.com)-- The National Transportation and Safety Board’s recommendations for routine sleep apnea screening for airline pilots and others operating multiple passenger vehicles is a good start, but a New York City physician argues that every American should undergo screening for a condition that afflicts about 18 million people. While we screen for prostate cancer, which is found in .001% of men, we don’t screen for sleep apnea, which is found in 24% of men. Yet, sleep apnea is more deadly than prostate cancer.

“It’s estimated that 80-90% of people with OSA are not diagnosed in this country,” says Dr. Steven Y. Park, an ear, nose, throat physician and Clinical Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology at the New York Medical College, who specializes in diagnosing and treating sleep-related breathing problems. "It’s been shown that sleep apnea can cause or aggravate anxiety, depression, diabetes, weight gain, high blood pressure, sexual dysfunction, heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. We should screen everyone for this condition.”

Dr. Park provides some more frightening statistics:

• 24% percent of all middle-aged men and 9% of women have obstructive sleep apnea.
• This figure goes up to 55% for seniors in their 70s and 80s.
• Sleep apnea increases your risk of heart attack by 2-3 times, and for stroke, 3-4 times.
• Your overall risk of dying increases by 46% (you’ll die 20 years earlier)
• Untreated sleep apnea raises your risk of car accidents by 3 to 10 times normal
• You don’t have to snore or be overweight to have sleep apnea.

Dr. Steven Y. Park is the author of the book, Sleep, Interrupted: A physician reveals the #1 reason why so many of us are sick and tired. He has a unique and unconventional perspective on sleep and health issues which your audience will find useful, if not life changing. To interview Dr. Park, call (917) 991-0621, or email him at sypark@mac.com.

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http://www.pr.com/press-release/189810

[LinkC]

An excellent idea! As long as they don't try to screen for both at the same time...

(But, then, if you were having an apnea event, it would sure bring you out of it! )

[GaryG]

At the company where I work, they sponsor yearly health screenings. I took it on myself to talk to the coordinator about introducing sleep apnea screenings. You know, the questionnaire we all get put in front of us prior to a sleep study. The one where I was off the charts and my doc told me I had OSA even before I was tested....

But I hope Dr. Park is more successful than I was.

[midnightdweary]

I visit my older brother in a veteran's rehab center, since last January.

I've met about half of the residents there, mostly in their 50's, 60's and 70's. (amounts to about 100 persons)

Have yet to see ANYONE there using a cpap. sad.

[roster]

I visit my older brother in a veteran's rehab center, since last January.

I've met about half of the residents there, mostly in their 50's, 60's and 70's. (amounts to about 100 persons)

Have yet to see ANYONE there using a cpap. sad.

Speaking of veterans, someone posted on a forum (I believe it was this one) about their VFW post of 13 members in Tennessee. A doctor came to a meeting and spoke about sleep apnea. Bells went off for all 13 members and they visited doctors with their concerns. All 13 ended up with CPAPs.

If someone has a link to that post, I would appreciate you giving it to us.

(Oh LinkC, I think bells also went off when they had that other exam.)