Breathing Disorder Sleep Apnoea
‘Linked To Diabetes’
People with a common breathing disorder
which strikes while they are asleep could be at
increased risk of getting diabetes later in life.
Scientists have found a link between obstructive
sleep apnoea and early signs of diabetes.
They say it is possible the side-effects of apnoea
could be causing permanent damage to their metabolism.
Sleep apnoea leads an interruption of breathing
during sleep - and affects one in ten middle-aged
men. Being obese makes the condition much more
likely, BBC reported.
Sleep apnoea is potentially damaging because
it not only reduces the oxygen concentration in
the blood stream, but also disturbs sleep patterns
and causes daytime fatigue.
Researchers from Angers University of Hospital
in France noticed the group of men diagnosed with
sleep apnoea were also those apparently more prone
to early signs of diabetes.
They wanted to find out whether there was a connection
between the two. Almost 700 men with suspected
sleep apnoea also had blood tests before and after
a “meal” of glucose to see how well
their body dealt with the sugar.
Diabetic shock: They were surprised by the findings
- half of the apnoea patients seemed to have signs
of a diabetes-related metabolic disorder.
Almost a third of those with confirmed apnoea
could actually be defined as diabetic - and two-fifths
of these cases were previously undiagnosed.
Dr Nicole Meslier, one of the researchers, said:
“The degree of insulin resistance correlated
with the severity of the sleep apnoea.
“This relationship cannot be explained
by the known risk factors, such as age and weight,
which we factored into our statistical analysis,
even though our apneic patients were, on average,
heavier than the ordinary snorers.”
Oxygen lacking: The precise reasons for the connection
cannot be proven, although there is some evidence
that the oxygen deprivation caused by sleep apnoea
might be harmful. Treatments are available for
the worst sufferers, who are given supplemental
oxygen through a mask at night to compensate for
their condition.
However, the researchers, writing the European
Respiratory Journal, strongly recommend anyone
with sleep apnoea gets tested for diabetes.
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Did you
know: Nektar Therapeutics announced
last Monday a clinical trial showed its inhaled
insulin product did not significantly hurt patients'
ability to breathe, a safety concern that had
delayed the drug's progress toward regulatory
review. Shares of Nektar, which is developing
the medicine with large drugmakers Pfizer Inc.
and Aventis, jumped as much as 23 percent on hopes
the new data would help the drug win approval.
