Weight loss surgery no cure for sleep apnea

[The Journey Messenger]

Patients who undergo weight loss surgery should not expect it to cure the nighttime breathing disorder known as obstructive sleep apnea, according to a paper in the June issue of The American Journal of Medicine.Dr. David L. Greenburg of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC and colleagues analyzed a dozen studies involving 342 patients who underwent weight loss surgery, also known as bariatric surgery.On average, patients experienced significant weight loss, and also experienced far fewer breathing disorder events per hour.


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Bariatrics The branch of medicine that deals with the causes, prevention, and treatment of obesity. The term bariatrics was created around 1965, from the Greek root baro ("weight," as in barometer), suffix -iatr ("treatment," as in pediatrics), and suffix -ic ("pertaining to"). Besides the pharmacotherapy of obesity, it is concerned with obesity surgery.

Sleep Apnea A sleep disorder (a comorbidity often seen in obese patients) characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. Each episode, called an apnea, lasts long enough so that one or more breaths are missed, and such episodes occur repeatedly throughout sleep. Sleep apnea is diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called a polysomnogram, or a "Sleep Study" which is often conducted by a pulmonologist. A continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine is used mainly by patients for the treatment of sleep apnea at home.