Race link with sleep apnoea proposed
18-04-2013
Race type may be a factor in the likelihood of suffering from the condition sleep apnoea, according to the findings of a new US study. The research at Wayne State University School of Medicine found that sleep apnoea was more prevalent in African-American males of certain age groups, compared to those of Caucasian race. Measuring apnoea-hyponea index (AHI) – breathing pauses per hour of sleep – it was determined that in African-American men younger than forty the number of pauses was 3.21 higher than Caucasians of the same age, while in the fifty to fifty-nine age group there were 2.79 more pauses.
The results were not replicated in females of different races.The study was based on data from 512 patients at the university sleep centre between 1996 and 1999, all of whom displayed sleep apnoea symptoms of more than five pauses per hour.
Sleep apnoea is a commonly-suffered sleep disorder that can lead to various heath complaints, along with general sleep deprivation issues.
The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine.
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