#5686
KEEPING AN ASTHMA DIARY MAY RESULT IN FEWER DOCTOR VISITS
(Tuesday, October 23, 11:30 AM EST)
Researchers from the University of Michigan determined how helpful keeping an asthma diary is, and what the characteristics of the women who use them are. A total of 424 women participated in the randomized controlled trial. Results indicate that women who used the asthma diary had significantly better self-efficacy, less unscheduled physician office visits, and a trend towards better individual levels of self-regulation at follow-up when compared to those that did not. Researchers also found older women and those with a higher education were more likely to keep a diary, while those with more severe asthma and a history of smoking were less likely to keep one.
#5359
IRON DEFICIENT WOMAN MAY COUGH MORE
(Tuesday, October 23, 1:30 PM EST)
New research investigates a possible link between iron deficiency in women and idiopathic cough. Italian researchers evaluated 16 healthy, non-smoking women, all of whom had normal lung function tests. All of the women suffered from chronic idiopathic cough and were iron deficient. Researchers found that these symptoms were strongly associated with extrathoracic airway hyperresponsiveness in all of the participants.
#5693
NECK SIZE IS BEST PREDICTOR OF SLEEP APNEA SEVERITY
(Wednesday, October 24, 1:30 PM EST)
A new study evaluates the roles of gender and body measurements in the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) requirements. Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital, in Texas, took multiple body measurements from 144 men and women with OSA. They found that patients’ neck circumference, rather than their body mass index (BMI), was more predictive of OSA severity, especially in women. Both neck circumference and BMI correlated to CPAP requirements.
#5509
FEMALE SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION LINKED TO SLEEP APNEA
(Wednesday, October 24, 1:30 PM EST)
While sexual dysfunction in men with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is well described, it has not been previously reported in women. Researchers from the Baylor College of Medicine, in Texas, administered sexual function questionnaires to 21 pre-menopausal women with OSA, who were referred to the sleep lab. Researchers found a high prevalence of sexual dysfunction in the women, which was unrelated to body mass index or negative mood.