In today's news

[howkim]

Snoring Men Get Heart Help When Breathing Mask Improves Sleep

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-1 ... cmpid=yhoo

[ameriken]

Interesting way how they went about talking about sleep apnea.

[GregD]

1) would be curious to know who funded this research, often it is the companies themselves trying to promote their products or boost market demand (there seem to be too many and only positive results, nothing negative was reported)

2) another suspicion i had was that they did not specify if the differences were statistically significant or not which might be a sign of poor reporting or poor/bias study

3) I also think they underestimate in the story the number of people who suffer from sleep apnea

[howkim]

1) would be curious to know who funded this research, often it is the companies themselves trying to promote their products or boost market demand (there seem to be too many and only positive results, nothing negative was reported)

2) another suspicion i had was that they did not specify if the differences were statistically significant or not which might be a sign of poor reporting or poor/bias study

3) I also think they underestimate in the story the number of people who suffer from sleep apnea

Pfizer funded the study through an independent investigator grant. In other sources I read that the folks who did the study said that the company had nothing else to do with the study. I used to work for Pfizer until they laid me off 10 years ago, so know that they do award this kind of grant. They're not in the OSA market. Here's a link to at least the abstract of the original article. I can get to it at work, but don't know if anyone else can. http://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJMoa1103944 The article provides more information about the statistics involved.

[jabman]

Interesting article but I am wondering if OSA is really found more in Men. I have heard this statement before; from my own doctor and other people I know who have OSA. The problem I see is that women who might have untreated OSA will read/ here statements like this and then think Well I don't have OSA cause I am not a Man. Doctors too might not suggest sleep studies to woman because of statements like this.

[Slinky]

The medical profession is still rather chauvinistic and biased against women. There are those doctors that a woman just HAS to take her husband to appointments w/her or she goes unheard by the doctor.

[jnk]

I am wondering if OSA is really found more in Men.

My understanding is that until menopause, female hormones seem to provide some protection against simple OSA, as presently defined.

As one source states:

"The prevalence, nature, and severity of OSA in women changes with menopause. Postmenopausal women have twice the rate of OSA as compared to premenopause."

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1 ... view#a0104

The flip side of that, though:

"Women are twice as likely as men to have difficulties falling asleep or maintaining sleep, although before puberty no significant differences are apparent."

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1 ... view#a0101

So I would say that there ARE some very real differences between the sexes when it comes to SDB, and other sleep disorders, at certain times of life. However, much of that difference may have to do with the definitions of OSA and other disorders, more than anything else. The definitions seem to be biased toward men, as I see it. UARS, for example, should qualify someone to try PAP therapy same as OSA, regardless of AHI. Having it otherwise creates a bias against women, in my not-so-humble opinion.

Bottom line for me is that females with sleep complaints should have the same opportunity as males to find out if PAP therapy improves quality of life for them, regardlless of what overall statistics might seem to indicate at first glance about women in certain age categories, and regardless of AHI.

Just my 2 cents.

[chunkyfrog]

My brother was diagnosed before me, and he's 2 years younger.
I agree that the medical profession tends to skip over women or even ignore us--often for really lame 'reasons'.
Fetal liability, doubling the expense of research, etc.
I am particularly resentful about the PSG blood test for men; while women still have to get pinched by the damn vise.
Phooey!

[Slinky]

Hey, Pugsy!! Why not invent a peenogram?

[idamtnboy]

My brother was diagnosed before me, and he's 2 years younger.
I agree that the medical profession tends to skip over women or even ignore us--often for really lame 'reasons'.
Fetal liability, doubling the expense of research, etc.
I am particularly resentful about the PSG blood test for men; while women still have to get pinched by the damn vise.
Phooey!

You meant PSA, right? Recent studies indicate that men who have surgery for prostate cancer die at near the same rate as those without. There's getting to be some serious questions about the value of PSA tests, kind of like the questions about mammograms.

[Kirbymuxloe]

The world of business events can be very lucrative depending on one's motives. Profits can be generated simply by holding a particular event or there may be hidden agendas attached. In either case, the rhyme and reasons behind holding events vary greatly.