Sleep Apnea Tied to Diabetes and Hypertension During Pregnancy

Pregnant women who experience certain breathing problems during sleep may be more likely to develop complications like high blood pressure and diabetes, recent U.S. research suggests. In the study of more than 3,000 women, researchers did home-based sleep studies twice during pregnancy to check for what’s known as apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder that involves repeated stops and starts in breathing. Risk factors for sleep apnea include older age and obesity. Women who had sleep apnea were almost twice as likely to develop what’s known as preeclampsia, a type…

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Sleep apnea may worsen liver disease for obese teens

Sleep apnea may worsen liver disease for obese teens (Courtney Keating/Getty Images) For teens with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), breathing disruptions during sleep may worsen scarring in the liver, according to a new study. Researchers found that among obese adolescents with NAFLD, those with the most severe liver disease also had the most severe sleep disordered breathing that caused them to experience periods of low oxygen at night. “This really focuses on the role of oxidative stress both systemically and specifically in the liver as a driving factor of…

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Sleep apnea may worsen liver disease in adults

Sleep apnea may worsen liver disease in adults (Getty Images) Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and low night-time oxygen are associated with the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adults, a new study conducted by an Indian-origin researcher has suggested. According to the study, published in the Journal of Hepatology, obstructive sleep apnea and low night-time oxygen may also be important triggers in the progression of paediatric NAFLD to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) — a type of fatty liver disease, characterised by inflammation of the liver with concurrent fat accumulation…

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