Unregistered User If this is not your name, click here.
		Contact Us | Order Now | Journals | Bookstore | Register a colleague
	Select a ChannelAcneAIDS and HIVAllergy OtherAlzheimer'sAnaesthesiology OtherAngina Pectoris/MIAnxietyArthritis OtherAsthmaBack PainBacterial InfectionsBladder CancerBone Marrow TransplantationBreast CancerCardiology OtherCataractCell TransplantationCervical CancerCholesterol/Lipid disordersCirrhosisClinical PharmacologyColorectal CancerCongestive Heart FailureContact DermatitisContraceptionCOPDCystic FibrosisDental and Oral DisordersDepressionDermatology OtherDiabetesDialysisEating DisordersElbowEmergency MedicineEndocrinology OtherEpilepsyErectile DysfunctionFibromyalgiaGastro OtherGeneticsGenitourinary OtherGeriatricsGERD/GastritisGlaucomaH. Pylori/UlcerHaematology OtherHair LossHeadachesHepa/Biliary OtherHepatitisHipHRTHypertensionIBDImmunologyInfectious OtherInfertilityIntensive CareIrritable Bowel SyndromeKneeLeukemiasLiver CancerLung CancerLupusLymphomasMelanomaMenopauseMultiple Sclerosis Nephrology OtherNeurologic OtherNutritional / Metabolic OtherOb/Gyn OtherObesityOncology OtherOphth. OtherOphthalmic SurgeryOrgan TransplantationOrthopaedics OtherOsteoarthritisOsteoporosisOtitisOtorhino. OtherOvarian CancerPaediatricsPainPancreatic CancerParkinson'sPregnancyProstate CancerPsychiatry OtherPulmonary OtherRadiologyRenal CancerRenal FailureRespiratory InfectionsRheumatoid arthritisRheumatology OtherRhinitisSchizophreniaShoulderSleep ApnoeaSleep DisordersSpineStrokeSTDsSurgeryThyroid DisordersTransfusionTransplant Surgery OtherTraumaUrinary IncontinenceUrinary tract infectionsVaccinologyVascular DisordersViral Infections

SEARCH   News Bookstore Medline The Web Meetings & Congresses Complete Doctor's Guide    EXPLORE :    All News   All Webcasts   All Cases   All Meetings & Congresses   All Medical Resources New drugs / indications English Dictionary Medical Dictionary Thesaurus Warning | Privacy | Awards  Favourite Journals  Click here to choose your favourite journals  Favourite Sites  Click here to choose your favourite sites  Languages  Select languageEnglishFrançais

DG DISPATCH - BTS: Treatment For Sleep Disorder Cuts Driving Risks By Mark Pownall Special to DG News LONDON, UK -- December 15, 1999 -- Treatment of the sleep disorder obstructive sleep apnoea, helps prevent driving errors that can cause road accidents, according to new research presented at the British Thoracic Society's winter meeting in London today (Wednesday, December 15). Obstructive sleep apnoea is usually defined as breaks in breathing of more than ten seconds, more than five or ten times an hour. The condition usually involves loud snoring. Disturbed sleep means sufferers are often sleepy and less alert during the day. The new research, from the Oxford Sleep Unit, looked at how an established treatment for sleep apnoea affected driving performance, as measured in a 30 minute computer simulation. In the study, funded by the British Lung Foundation, reaction times and overall sleepiness (measured by maintenance of wakefulness tests, MWT) returned to normal levels after treatment. The treatment, nasal continuous positive airway pressure, gently pumped air into the lungs through the nose during sleep. Treatment reduced the number of steering mistakes drivers made during simulation, but the steering of sleep apnoea patients was still worse than those without the condition. Consultant physician Dr Melissa Hack, now at the Royal Gwent Hospital, who carried out the study said: "Sleepiness for any reason causes people to perform much worse at driving. Patients with untreated sleep apnoea performed worse when we tested them in a driving stimulation. For the first time, we have shown that treatment of sleep apnoea continues in the long term - over five to six months - in improving driving performance." Dr Hack says drivers who find themselves falling asleep at the wheel, should pull over as soon as it is safe. "They should seek medical help because their condition may be treatable, and driving while sleepy poses a risk to all road users." E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version