Sleep Disorders

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Sleep specialists here reviewed the problems and alternatives for treating insomnia.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Insomnia among men was an apparent sequel to Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans, researchers said here.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Despite disappointing performance in clinical trials, anti-insomnia drugs that improve short-wave sleep may still have a role in helping people get a good night's rest, a specialist predicted here.

CINCINNATI -- For treating the chronic pain and other symptoms of fibromyalgia, the anticonvulsant gabapentin (Neurontin) proved safe and effective, researchers here reported.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Poor sleepers may be too tired during the day to eat properly, according to researchers here.

MINNEAPOLIS -- Four out of 10 police officers may be working with sleep abnormalities, researchers said here.

SAN FRANCISCO -- After a 43-year-old woman returned from Peru with fever and an enlarged spleen, researchers here have identified a previously unknown pathogen related to those that cause trench fever and cat-scratch fever.

BOSTON -- In a discovery that may explain the successes of the Atkins diet, investigators have found that a single hormone may switch on the use of stored fat for fuel when all else fails.

SEATTLE -- Women whose sexual desire diminishes during menopause are more likely to report disturbed sleep, night sweats, and depression, researchers here reported.

PHILADELPHIA -- Seven out of 10 patients with chronic insomnia never talk with their doctors about it. Instead, they self-medicate with over-the-counter medicines or alcohol.

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Endothelial injury may explain in part how obstructive sleep apnea raises cardiovascular risk, researchers here reported on the basis of a small study.

* The role of inflammation is well established in theories describing atherosclerotic disease. Virtually every step in atherogenesis is believed to involve cytokines and other bioactive molecules and cells that are characteristic of inflammation. Studies have shown that an elevated level of CRP, which is a serum marker of inflammation, in the high-normal range (0.2 to 1.0 mg/dL) in apparently healthy adults increases the relative risk of cardiovascular disease by 1.5.1

PHILADELPHIA -- Teens suffering from sleep apnea will doze off in class and teachers will label them lazy, but younger children with the condition usually don't act sleepy. They become hyperactive and tantrum-prone.

PHILADELPHIA -- More than half of patients with atrial fibrillation are also likely to have obstructive sleep apnea, investigators suggested here.

PHILADELPHIA -- The most obvious clinical feature of obstructive sleep apnea may be weariness of mind, but this breathing disorder also slowly and silently wears down the heart, according to researchers.

SAN DIEGO -- Emergency department patients who may be suicidal can be identified with a simple tool designed for use by health professionals without a mental health background.

SAN DIEGO -- When attention deficit hyperactivity disorder meets bipolar disorder in an adult, the diagnosis is hard and the course is poorly understood but the co-morbidity appears to exacerbate matters, researchers said here.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Pregnant women who have disordered breathing patterns during sleep may be at elevated risk of developing diabetes and high blood pressure -- including eclampsia and pre-eclampsia.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Better communication with the family of dying ICU patients may reduce their stress, anxiety, and depression, French researchers found.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Sleep apnea may increase the risk of heart disease and mortality risk 40%, researchers said here.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Scalding hot wash water is most effective against allergens in the laundry, as allergists have recommended, but lower temperatures may be sufficient if an extra rinse cycle is added.

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 10 -- A transdermal patch for early symptoms of Parkinson's disease has won FDA approval.

SEATTLE -- Only 16% of sedating antihistamine use among older patients at VA medical centers was for an appropriate indication, researchers reported here.

SEATTLE -- Hospitalized patients slept longer when their nurses straightened patients' sheets and blankets at bedtime or avoided talking at the patients' bedsides when making nighttime rounds, researchers reported here.

SEATTLE -- Light, physical activity and other non-drug therapies may be as effective against insomnia in the elderly as pharmacologic interventions, researchers said here.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A significant number of patients with major depression also suffer from chronic insomnia that hampers recovery, and treating the insomnia may improve both conditions.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Remission rates remain low for major depression even with multiple antidepressant drug classes available, but the recently approved selegiline patch (Emsam) aims to bring the rates up.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Atypical antipsychotic medications have improved adverse-event profiles compared with the older generation of antipsychotics, but careful attention to major side effects is still required.

ROCKVILLE, Md. -- The FDA has approved the first generic versions of zolpidem tartrate, marketed for years as Ambien, for short-term treatment of insomnia.

BRADFORD, England -- Well-meaning physicians may unwittingly induce delirium in older patients when they prescribe medications such as antihistamines or sleep aids, according to a literature review.