It’s well known that having asthma can lead to a number of problems in your life. It is a condition that can make it difficult to breathe – and that can make doing the simplest task a real challenge. Tightness of the chest, wheezing and shortness of breath all lead to a decreased quality of life and this can be a real problem for asthmatics.
But now new research suggests that if you are asthmatic and you also have a sleeping disorder, this can actually make your quality of life exponentially worse. According to the results from a Korean study, quality of life is significantly decreased in adult sufferers of asthma who are at high risk for obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA).
The team also found that asthma patients who are at high risk of OSA were more likely to be older and more likely to be overweight or obese than asthma patients at low risk of OSA. While this is perhaps to be expected, it is important that there is now scientific proof that states this is the case.
The team noted that there now needs to be special consideration for the care and treatment of patients who suffer with asthma and are at high risk of OSA, particularly if they are elderly or are obese.
The team looked at 217 asthma patients with a mean age of 58.4 years. They were randomly selected from a tertiary-care clinic. In total, 41 percent of the patients were classified as being at a high risk for developing OSA.
The mean age of the high-risk patients was larger as was their body mass index. It was also noted that the high-risk patients are more likely to need longer treatment for their asthma.
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