Sleep apnea common among stroke-related brainstem injuries

Abstract: 52 (room 20BC)

2014-02-13

(Press-News.org) People whose brainstems are affected by their stroke have a significantly higher prevalence of sleep apnea than those who have stroke-related injury elsewhere in the brain, according to research presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2014.

Sleep apnea is marked by interrupted breathing during sleep and can lead to serious health problems including heart disease and stroke.

"This is the largest population-based study to address the issue of the location of the brain injury and its relationship to sleep apnea in post-stroke patients," said Devin L. Brown, M.D., M.S., lead author of the study and associate professor of neurology and associate director of the stroke program at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

The 355 ischemic stroke patients, average 65 years and 55 percent men, who participated in the study, were drawn from those already enrolled in the Brain Attack Surveillance in Corpus Christi (BASIC) Project. Hispanics represented 59 percent of the study group; Non-Hispanic whites 35 percent; Native Americans 1 percent; and African-Americans 4 percent.

According to researchers, patients were also offered sleep apnea screening with a portable respiratory monitor and were screened about 13 days after a stroke.

Neurologists interpreted CT and MRI brain imaging scan results to determine if patients had brainstem involvement or no brainstem involvement.

Of the 11 percent of 355 stroke patients with brainstem injury, 84 percent had sleep apnea. Of those without brainstem involvement, 59 percent had sleep apnea.

"While these numbers are high, more research into the relationship between stroke and sleep apnea is needed before we recommend routine sleep apnea screening in post-stroke patients," Brown said.

In the future, Brown said her group will continue to explore the relationship between sleep apnea and stroke.

INFORMATION: Co-authors are Mollie McDermott, M.D.; Ashkan Mowia, M.D.; Ronald Chervin, M.D., M.S; Lewis Morgenstern, M.D.; Kevin Kerber, M.D.; Garnett Hegeman III, RPSGT; Melinda Smith, Dr.PH.; Nelda Garcia, B.S.; and Lynda Lisabeth, Ph.D. Author disclosures are on the abstract.

The National Institutes of Health funded the study.

Downloadable video/audio interviews, B-roll, animation and images related to this news release are on the right column of the release link at http://newsroom.heart.org/news/sleep-apnea-common-among-stroke-related-brainstem-injuries?preview=a8d9c0d360b4e0335e04c62fc5a46479. Video clips with researchers/authors of the studies will be added to the release link after embargo.

Follow news from the International Stroke Conference 2014 via Twitter: @HeartNews #ISC14.

Statements and conclusions of study authors that are presented at American Stroke Association scientific meetings are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect association policy or position. The association makes no representation or warranty as to their accuracy or reliability. The association receives funding primarily from individuals; foundations and corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations and fund specific association programs and events. The association has strict policies to prevent these relationships from influencing the science content. Revenues from pharmaceutical and device corporations are available at http://www.heart.org/corporatefunding.

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

ADHD drugs not linked to increased stroke risk among children

2014-02-13

Children who take medication to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) don't appear to be at increased stroke risk, according to a study presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2014. In a study of 2.5 million 2- to 19-year-olds over a 14-year period, researchers compared stimulant medication usage in children diagnosed with ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke to stimulant usage in children without stroke. Researchers found no association between stroke risk and the use of ADHD stimulant medications at the time of stroke ...

Worm infections in developing countries: Veterinary drugs improve the health of school children

2014-02-13

This news release is available in German. Hookworms and whipworms are detrimental to health. Children in many developing countries in particular are prone to regular infection via contaminated soil due to a lack of latrines and clean water. Whipworm eggs enter the body via the gastrointestinal tract and evolve over several devel-opment stages. To contain the health risks of worm infections, the WHO recommends annual de-worm treatment for children and at-risk groups (such as field hands and miners). However, the recommended standard treatment appears to have little ...

New research uncovers debilitating effects of disease on toy dog breeds

2014-02-13

A new study from the University of Surrey, published today in the journal PLOS One, has identified the specific effect Chiari malformation has on the shape of a dog's skull and brain. This condition has become prevalent as a result of selective breeding and affects many toy dog breeds which have been bred to look more doll-like, including Griffon Bruxellois, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, Chihuahuas and their crosses. Researchers took brain, skull and vertebrae measurements of 155 Griffon Bruxellois and compared dogs affected by the condition, with normal Griffons. ...

Jawed vertebrates get a face

2014-02-13

This week in the leading journal Nature, a team of French and Swedish researchers present new fossil evidence for the origin of one of the most important and emotionally significant parts of our anatomy: the face. They show how a series of fossils, with a 410 million year old armoured fish called Romundina at its centre, documents the step-by-step assembly of the face during the evolutionary transition from jawless to jawed vertebrates. Vertebrates (backboned animals) come in two basic models: jawless and jawed. Today, the only jawless vertebrates are lampreys and hagfishes, ...

Quality of acupuncture needles is less than perfect and must improve

2014-02-13

The quality of acupuncture needles is high, but should still be universally improved to avoid potential problems, such as pain and skin reactions, finds research published online in Acupuncture in Medicine (AiM). Despite improvements to the manufacturing process, surface irregularities and bent tips have not been completely eliminated, say the researchers. In China, traditional Chinese medicine including acupuncture, accounts for 40% of all medical treatment, while in the West, acupuncture is one of the most frequently used complementary therapies. An estimated 1.4 ...

Tobacco industry claims 'plain' packs won't work based on weak evidence

2014-02-13

Tobacco companies lack strong, relevant evidence to support their claims that standardised (plain) packaging of tobacco products in the UK won't work, finds research published in the online journal BMJ Open. The aim of plain packaging, with no logos, brand imagery, symbols, or promotional text, is to restrict the already limited opportunities that transnational tobacco companies have to market their products, and deter people from starting smoking. Australia adopted plain packaging for tobacco products in 2012, the same year that the Department of Health in England ...

Hospitals not always prepared for full costs of implementing electronic patient records

2014-02-13

Hospitals don't always take into account the full costs of implementing new electronic health record systems and should be better prepared if they are to maximise the benefits, finds research published online in the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA). Electronic health record (EHR) systems can improve the safety, quality, and efficiency of healthcare in hospitals, and their adoption is a priority for the UK and US governments. But despite their promise and the existence of EHRs in UK primary care for several decades, UK hospitals have been ...

Revision to rules for color in dinosaurs suggests connection between color and physiology

2014-02-13

New research that revises the rules allowing scientists to decipher color in dinosaurs may also provide a tool for understanding the evolutionary emergence of flight and changes in dinosaur physiology prior to its origin. In a survey comparing the hair, skin, fuzz and feathers of living terrestrial vertebrates and fossil specimens, a research team from The University of Texas at Austin, the University of Akron, the China University of Geosciences and four other Chinese institutions found evidence for evolutionary shifts in the rules that govern the relationship between ...

Many stroke patients on 'clot-busting' tPA may not need long stays in the ICU

2014-02-13

A Johns Hopkins study of patients with ischemic stroke suggests that many of those who receive prompt hospital treatment with "clot-busting" tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) therapy can avoid lengthy, restrictive monitoring in an intensive care unit (ICU). The study challenges the long-standing protocol that calls for intensive monitoring, mostly done in ICUs, for the first 24 hours after tPA infusion to catch bleeding in the brain, a side effect seen in 6 percent of patients treated with the medication. Results show that a relatively simple measure of stroke severity ...

Whales viewed from space

2014-02-13

High-resolution satellite images may be a useful tool for counting whale populations for conservation purposes, according to a study published in PLOS ONE on February 12, 2014 by Peter Fretwell from British Antarctic Survey, UK, and colleagues. In the study, the authors selected one of the largest southern right whale populations, breeding off the Argentinian coast. The population was selected, due to its large size and tendency to bask near the surface in large aggregations around sheltered coastal waters during breeding season. Scientists used this population to test ...

Kissick Family Foundation, Milken Institute announce $2 million in funding for frontotemporal dementia research and new call for proposals

[Press-News.org] Sleep apnea common among stroke-related brainstem injuries
Abstract: 52 (room 20BC)

Sleep apnea common among stroke-related brainstem injuries

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: