Sleep apnea in patients with type 2 are more severe.

Published in the journal PlosOne.

This is the first study to provide evidence that obese people who suffer from Type 2 diabetes have more severe sleep apnea who were nondiabetic.

Research group on obesity and metabolism of lHospital Research Institute Universitari Vall dHebron has published the results of their study in the journal PlosOne, describing the differences between apnea syndrome (SAHS) among people with type 2 diabetes among obese individuals without type 2 diabetes. In this study involved the CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM) and CIBER of Respiratory Diseases (CIBER) in addition to the Sleep Unit of Hospital Vall dHebron.

The results suggest that people with type 2 diabetes have more severe apnea. This finding should serve to devote special attention to people with obesity and Type 2 diabetes and assess corrective actions in these cases, because sleep apnea is clearly associated with an increased risk of hypertension, heart attacks and strokes . This study also opens up a whole series of hypotheses related to the fact that the respiratory center can be modulated in part by insulin receptors or the like.

What is the relationship between obesity, type 2 diabetes and the syndrome of sleep apnea?

SAHS (apnea and hypopnea syndrome sleep) is due to repeated obstruction or airway collapse suffered by some people while they sleep. This causes a reduction (hypopnea) or complete arrest (apnea) airflow to the lungs and can lead, among other effects, reduced oxygen levels and some small subconscients awakenings often, that they allow normal breathing until the next episode occurs. As a result, the main symptoms include excessive sleepiness during the day due to poor sleep quality, which can have many repercussions from the decline in intellectual capacity and performance, and traffic accidents. It also causes respiratory disorders, cardiovascular disorders including hypertension, arrhythmias, angina and myocardial infarction or stroke, and so on.

Obesity is the most important determinant for the occurrence of OSAHS. Approximately 50% of patients with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 30 kg / m² living with SAHS and 80% of patients with morbid obesity (BMI greater than 40 kg / m²). Recent years have increased the evidence suggests an association between SAHS and type 2 diabetes.

Current data suggest to us that the long-term exposure to hypoxia (decrease in the amount of oxygen we breathe) and apnea (short periods of time when breathing is interrupted) contributes to disorders of glucose metabolism. This is illustrated by the fact that among people with SAHS of a high prevalence of patients with high levels of glucose, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes.

The first study provides evidence that obese people who suffer from Type 2 diabetes have more severe sleep apnea who were nondiabetic.

The study sought to define and realize this relationship and has really studied whether the same body mass index, waist circumference equal, the same characteristics in relation to snuff and age, people with type 2 diabetes SAHS suffered more than non-diabetics. The study results were surprising because it has found a high prevalence of SAHS in both groups but no differences (80% in diabetics and 78% in nondiabetics). The surprise was when they assessed the severity of apnea. We have detected that an equal number of apnea, people with diabetes have type 2 the most profound and severe. If we calculate the percentage of time a group and someone raises oxygen saturations below 90%, this is more than 3 times higher for the SAHS of diabetic patients, explains Dr. Rafael Simó, coordinator of this study. This saturation of oxygen (which measures the amount of oxygen into the blood) is the indicator of severity of apnea. These findings justified and is especially essential to make a study of sleep apnea obese people with type 2 diabetes, since it is clear that in these cases the SAHS exists and is more severe than in other patients. Implement corrective actions by the SAHS can prevent serious diseases with great impact as hypertension, myocardial infarction or stroke, concludes Dr. Simo.