Safety warning to obese drivers.Byline: HYWEL TREWYNA WORLD expert in sleep disorders will today warn obese people they might be at higher risk of road accidents because of a related sleep condition Obstructive sleep apnoea ap·ne·a also ap·noe·a n. Temporary absence or cessation of breathing. [New Latin apnoea, from Greek apnoia : a-, without; see a-1 + (OSA 1. OSA - Open Scripting Architecture. 2. OSA - Open System Architecture. ) occurs when soft tissue in the back of the airway collapses and blocks it, causing interruption in breathing lasting 10 seconds or more. The affect could lead to drivers falling asleep at the wheel. Being overweight is a major risk factor of the condition. British medic medic: see alfalfa. , Dr Bertrand De Silva, will suggest to delegates at an obesity conference in London the problem can double the risk of road accidents. Dr De Silva, who is medical director of American Sleep Medicine in California, will say: "Far from being regarded as a minor condition with irritating snoring, research has now identified Obstructive Sleep Apnoea as a fatal disease. "This means that the condition and its consequences are now recognised as yet another co-morbidity of obesity along with type two diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. "We predict that only 15% of suffering patients have been diagnosed." |
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