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Sleep disorder treatments are in demand in New Zealand

Written by: David Castillo on October 27th, 2010

Sleep disorder treatments are in demand in New Zealand | read this item

Sleep specialists in New Zealand are asking for an urgent review of the country’s sleep services, following the announcement that up to 10 percent of the country’s population has sleep apnea and most of these cases are undiagnosed.

“New Zealand Sleep Services are poorly resourced to deal with the current burden of disease,” said Dr. Michael Hlavac, a Sleep Specialist at Christchurch Hospital and Chair of the New Zealand branch of the Australasian Sleep Association. “Most obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) remains unrecognised, which is of huge concern given the known consequences of untreated OSA.”

He continued: “Sleep apnoea is associated with serious medical consequences, including heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. Even more concerning is the increased rates of sleep apnoea in Maori and Pacific people, who are much less able to access health services, and generally have more severe disease.”

Dr. Hlavac says that the government needs to recognize sleep disorders as a significant health issue of the country. And they need to develop resources to solve the problem.

Source: Voxy.co.nz