Asthma and obstructive sleep apnea

This article is about a study showing an association between asthma and risk of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). All participants were adults drawn from a random sample of Wisconsin state employees. Initially they were free of OSA based on overnight sleep studies done every 4 years. Results showed that the relative risk of developing OSA was 1.39 times higher in those with asthma. And this was after adjusting for sex, age, baseline and change in body mass index, and other factors. The study authors suggest that physicians who treat asthma should periodically screen those patients for OSA.

Adenotonsillectomy and asthma in children

Some research studies have demonstrated an association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and asthma. It's not clear why they are linked - it could be that both involve inflammation. OSA is also associated with obesity, which is linked to asthma. The most common treatment for OSA in children is the surgical removal of adenoids and tonsils, referred to as an adenotonsillectomy (AT). This study looked at historical medical and pharmacy records of children with asthma who did and did not have AT. The data in this study was from quite a large database, and the children who had AT were matched with those without AT.

The results showed that asthma flare-ups were worse in children the year prior to AT. However, after AT, asthma flare-ups declined significantly, to levels similar to the kids with asthma who did not receive AT. A similar decrease was seen in asthma medication refills in those children who underwent AT.

The study authors conclude that the presence of OSA can worsen asthma control in children, and that treatment of the OSA with AT may reduce asthma flare-ups. The authors appropriately caution that prospective studies will be needed to establish a causal relationship.

Asthma linked to insomnia

This article is about research showing asthmatics have a higher rate of insomnia. And the worse the asthma, the more frequent the insomnia. Also, nasal congestion along with asthma increased risk of insomnia. This study was only a survey, but a large one. However, other sleep disorders could contribute to insomnia in asthmatics, such as obstructive sleep apnea. Some asthma medications can also reduce sleep quality.

Asthma linked to daytime tiredness in children

This article discusses research showing that kids with asthma may be more sleepy during the day. However, the results showed that the asthma does not affect sleep quality, sleep duration, or bedtime. The researchers are not sure why asthma is linked to feeling tired in the daytime. It may be due to increased work of breathing at night, but this may not be reported by parents - just experienced by the child. More research is needed to determine if better control of the asthma results in less daytime tiredness.