Macular edema risk high for diabetes patients with sleep apnea: Study
| Oct 24, 2019, 14:42 IST
A new study claims the risk of macular edema, an eye issue,is significantly high for diabetes patients who also suffer from sleep apnea. Researchers say the condition is caused due to fluid accumulation in the area of the retina knowns as macula.
The study's findings were presented at the 123rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, in San Francisco, California. Sleep apnea is a dangerous sleep disorder because your breathing stops and starts repeatedly, according to the Mayo Clinic. You may have sleep apnea if you wake up feeling tired after a full night's sleep or snore loudly.
When blood sugar levels are high, it can cause damage to the blood vessels at the back inner wall of the eye or even block them. This medical condition is known as diabetic retinopathy. Mayo Clinic states if the condition worsens, it could cause blindness and other vision issues.
Another study found sleep apnea can have an impact on blood pressure. Researchers at UBC's Okanagan campus found even six hours of fluctuating oxygen levels due to sleep apnea could hinder a person's circulatory system. "While it is well established that sleep apnea is linked to high blood pressure, our study shows this condition has an impact on the cardiovascular system that can begin within a single day," Glen Foster, an assistant professor of health and exercise science, told a news portal. Adding, "After just six hours of fluctuating oxygen levels, similar to what happens with sleep apnea, the body's ability to regulate blood pressure is impaired.
Foster further explained: "These changes occurred almost immediately in healthy young adults who were not experiencing the cumulative effects years of sleep apnea could bring about."
The team also discovered it can have a negative impact on the blood flow patterns in the legs, which may damage vascular health. "These findings suggest that interventions for people suffering sleep apnea should occur as soon as the condition is diagnosed," Foster told a news portal.
The study's findings were originally published in the American Journal of Physiology.
Picture Courtesy: Google Images
The study's findings were presented at the 123rd Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, in San Francisco, California. Sleep apnea is a dangerous sleep disorder because your breathing stops and starts repeatedly, according to the Mayo Clinic. You may have sleep apnea if you wake up feeling tired after a full night's sleep or snore loudly.
When blood sugar levels are high, it can cause damage to the blood vessels at the back inner wall of the eye or even block them. This medical condition is known as diabetic retinopathy. Mayo Clinic states if the condition worsens, it could cause blindness and other vision issues.
Another study found sleep apnea can have an impact on blood pressure. Researchers at UBC's Okanagan campus found even six hours of fluctuating oxygen levels due to sleep apnea could hinder a person's circulatory system. "While it is well established that sleep apnea is linked to high blood pressure, our study shows this condition has an impact on the cardiovascular system that can begin within a single day," Glen Foster, an assistant professor of health and exercise science, told a news portal. Adding, "After just six hours of fluctuating oxygen levels, similar to what happens with sleep apnea, the body's ability to regulate blood pressure is impaired.
Foster further explained: "These changes occurred almost immediately in healthy young adults who were not experiencing the cumulative effects years of sleep apnea could bring about."
The team also discovered it can have a negative impact on the blood flow patterns in the legs, which may damage vascular health. "These findings suggest that interventions for people suffering sleep apnea should occur as soon as the condition is diagnosed," Foster told a news portal.
The study's findings were originally published in the American Journal of Physiology.
Picture Courtesy: Google Images