Chest
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Patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have a very high incidence of gastroesophageal reflux (GER). Previous studies have shown that the use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) reduces the frequency of reflux events, but these studies only assessed the effect of a single night of treatment. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of 1 week of CPAP treatment on reflux in patients with OSA and GER. ⋯ In OSA patients with significant heartburn complaints, CPAP would appear to be an efficacious approach to the treatment of both disorders.
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Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a known risk factor for hypertension in adults. This relationship is less clear in childhood OSAS. ⋯ The current study shows that increased DI contributed to the elevation of sleep DBP elevation.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Does quality of life of COPD patients as measured by the generic EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire differentiate between COPD severity stages?
To assess the discriminative properties of the EuroQol five-dimension questionnaire (EQ-5D) with respect to COPD severity according to Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) criteria in a large multinational study. ⋯ Increasing severity of COPD was associated with a significant decline in EQ-5D VAS scores and utility scores. These results demonstrate that a generic instrument can assess COPD impact on quality of life and that the scores discriminate between patient groups of known severity. These utility scores will be useful in cost-effectiveness assessments.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Pressure-relief continuous positive airway pressure vs constant continuous positive airway pressure: a comparison of efficacy and compliance.
To compare polysomnographic data and compliance in sleep apnea patients receiving continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and pressure-relief CPAP (PRCPAP) [C-flex; Respironics; Murrysville, PA] as first treatment in the sleep laboratory and subsequently at home. ⋯ In terms of the effectiveness in treating obstructive sleep apnea, PRCPAP and constant CPAP are comparable. During the first night of treatment, patients receiving PRCPAP had less dryness of mouth; over a period of 7 weeks, this difference disappeared. Nightly use of the device was comparable in both groups. PRCPAP is therefore a new ventilation mode that enables effective treatment of OSAS patients. Further studies should be done to investigate the effects of expiratory pressure lowering in low-compliance patients and patients requiring CPAP > 9 cm H(2)O or experiencing dry mouth with CPAP.