Researchers at University of New South Wales (UNSW) are conducting a study about whether a theoretical new treatment system for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) would be acceptable to people with OSA. This theoretical treatment has two parts – a one-off injection to the tongue that sensitises the tongue muscles to a specific type of light. The patient would then wear a mouthguard device at night that shines light on the tongue activating the muscles and keeping the airway open. Keep reading
Submitted by Susan Redline, MD, MPH. Professor of Sleep Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School As many people are aware, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes are associated with more severe Covid-19 infections. However, an important question is whether sleep apnea is an unrecognized or hidden risk factor for complications from Covid-19 and whether positive airway pressure (PAP), used to treat sleep apnea, changes this risk. Keep reading
For a long time, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was considered to be a disease that mostly affected men. Today, women are being diagnosed more often. But still, 3-to-5 times more men are diagnosed than women. MyApnea founder, Dr. Susan Redline, and a team of researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Yale School of Medicine set out to understand how sleep apnea presents in men and women and its impact on diagnosis and health impact. For a long time, Dr. Keep reading
This post summarizes a recent article published in MIT, Sloan Management Review. Find the full article here The last time we posted, we discussed the concept of patient-initiated research and the “N of 1” approach. Since then, we conducted surveys in 10 countries to learn about all types of consumer-driven product innovations, including those in the medical field. Next, we did more studies to learn about medical-product innovation development, in particular. Keep reading
Patients can be diagnosed with sleep apnea at home using a home sleep apnea test (HSAT) or in the sleep lab with polysomnography (PSG). Several studies have found that medically uncomplicated patients at high risk of obstructive sleep apnea that get diagnosed either way have similar CPAP adherence and patient-reported outcomes. For this reason, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends that either method can be used in these types of patients. Keep reading
Studies of the associations between sleep apnea and heart disease in large communities of individuals provide strong evidence that untreated sleep apnea increases the risk of developing high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, heart failure, stroke and premature death. There are known physiological mechanisms to explain how sleep apnea increases heart disease risk, which include injury of blood vessels and the heart muscle. Keep reading
Two bacterial diseases are the leading causes of tooth loss. One is dental caries (tooth decay), and the other is periodontitis (gum disease). Periodontitis affects all of the tissues that hold the tooth in place—the gum, periodontal ligament and the jaw bone itself. Over time, these tissues are destroyed by toxins produced by the bacterial infection and by the immune system’s inflammatory response to fight that infection. Keep reading
In a recent study, my colleagues at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Columbia University and Baylor Medical Center and I found that older women are at higher relative risk of developing sleep apnea-related heart disease than older men. This study turns on its head the notion that sleep apnea is a “man’s” disease- that is, traditional thinking that men are both more likely to have sleep apnea and have sleep apnea-related health problems. Keep reading
Unilateral stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve (the nerve that controls the movement of the tongue) is a new treatment for people with moderate to severe OSA who are unable to use continuous positive prtessure therapy (CPAP). CPAP, oral appliances, and some surgeries work “from the outside in” to prevent the tissues from relaxing and blocking the upper airway (nasal and oral passages).1 This nerve stimulation therapy works “from the inside out” to move the muscles and keep the airway open. Keep reading
"Didgeridoo" by "Bernard Spragg. NZ " is licensed under CC BY 2.0. In 2005, the British Medical Journal published a research study that made the American Thoracic Society International Conference “Top 5 Articles of the Year”, and since has remained a frequently talked about study that has also seemingly gained a cult following. In a randomized controlled research study, Dr. Keep reading
