Pressure is on to sleep well
24 January 2003
Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea who have nocturnal gastro-oesphageal reflux may be able to improve their gastrointestinal symptoms by using nasal continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP).
(Obstructive sleep apnoea is when a person stops breathing temporarily during sleep because the airway in the throat region becomes blocked. CPAP is a technique where air is supplied under gentle pressure via a tube into the nose.)
US doctors looked at 331 people with obstructive sleep apnoea, and found that almost two-thirds (62 per cent) had nocturnal (night-time) reflux symptoms before treatment with CPAP.
But when they were treated, there was a 48 per cent improvement in the frequency of nocturnal reflux symptoms.
Obesity predisposed people to both obstructive sleep apnoea and nocturnal reflux, the doctors said (Archives of Internal Medicine 2003; 163: 41-45).
Last Reviewed: 23 January 2003
- 1. Medical Observer Weekly 24/01/03
