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Experts recommend further research on anti-apnea devices

Written by: David Castillo on March 8th, 2011

Experts recommend further research on anti-apnea devices | read this item

Obstructive sleep apnea has become a major health concern, with a survey showing that almost 20 million Americans suffer from it. It’s been shown that obesity can in fact cause the onset of apnea, but there are opposite cases wherein people with normal weight also suffer from interrupted sleep.

Meanwhile, the American Thoracic Society advises that regulations be put into place to govern the technology being used to treat obstructive sleep apnea. For example, a polysomnography device can only be availed at specialized healthcare facilities, out of reach of rural folks. There is also a great deal of research needed in order to properly identify the efficiency of such devices as well as their cost-effectiveness.

On the other hand, Chairman of the Workshop’s Steering Committee and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania says that there is further need for clinical sleep research networks to be setup in order to make possible large prospective studies.