Active clinical trials for "Sleep Apnea Syndromes"

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) briefly means cessation of breathing during sleep at least 5 times per hour. SDB is a common disorder affecting 9 to 24% of the middle-aged and overall 4% of the middle-aged male population suffers from the Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) i.e. Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) with associated daytime sleepiness. Several major epidemiological studies have shown that SDB is not only an independent risk factor for hypertension but it is also strongly associated with heart failure and stroke. The mechanism for the linkage between SDB and cardiovascular consequences is not fully determined. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a soluble 34-46 kD angiogenic heparin-binding glycoprotein. This cytokine regulates multiple endothelial cell functions including vascular permeability and vascular tone and some data suggest that it may contribute to the atherosclerotic process. Recent studies have shown increased plasma and serum concentrations of Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in patients with OSA and there were correlations between VEGF concentrations and the severity of OSA, as indexed by the minimum oxygen saturation level and the frequency of the upper airway obstruction per hour of sleep. A recent non-randomized study with a small sample size has shown a significant decrease in Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) concentrations in patients in whom nocturnal hypoxia improved after 1 year of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. Despite robust evidence showing improvement of symptoms, cognitive function and quality of life in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients treated with nasal CPAP, there are nevertheless conflicting data whether Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can reduce daytime blood pressure (BP) in patients with OSA. Two randomized placebo controlled studies have shown reduction of 24-hr systolic and diastolic blood pressure (BP) in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients after 1 month of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy while other investigators have shown no such benefit. This randomized, sham-placebo controlled study aims to assess 1) the effect of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) over a period of 3 months on 24 hr blood pressure (BP); and 2) whether any change in BP and plasma Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is related to the baseline severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) compliance.

Generalist physicians in the outpatient setting care for 80% of the 300,000 patients who have transient ischemic attacks (TIA) annually in the United States. Despite existing secondary prevention therapies, recurrent ischemic events are common following a TIA. Given the risk of poor outcomes and the important role of the generalist, new therapeutic approaches for patients with TIA are needed that can be applied by generalists to outpatients. This research will develop and evaluate a new therapeutic approach that centers on the observations that sleep-disordered breathing is a risk factor for cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease, is common in patients with cerebrovascular disease, and is associated with poor outcome following a stroke or TIA. We posit that diagnosing and treating sleep-disordered breathing in the home of TIA patients can improve cerebrovascular and cardiovascular outcomes. The primary aims are to determine in TIA patients: 1) the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing, 2) the feasibility of diagnosing and treating sleep-disordered breathing using an auto-titrating continuous positive airways pressure (auto-CPAP) machine within 24-hours of TIA symptom onset, 3) adherence to auto-CPAP, and 4) the effect of auto-CPAP on blood pressure. We will recruit 80 TIA patients to be randomly assigned to either the intervention or the control groups. Each patient in the intervention group will use an auto-CPAP machine for up to 90 days and will then receive an unattended sleep study using a sleep monitor. Each patient in the control group will receive two unattended sleep studies, one upon enrollment and another after 90 days.

The purpose of this study is to determine any sleep disordered breathing in veterans with Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) and compare it to healthy normal asymptomatic Gulf War veterans. This study will also determine the effect of treatment with continuous positive airway pressure on veterans with Gulf War Syndrome. The investigators hypothesize that sleep complaints (insomnia, un-refreshing sleep and daytime fatigue) among GWS patients are related to increased sleep fragmentation secondary to the presence of sleep disordered breathing in GWS patients. The investigators hypothesize that increased collapsibility of the upper airway during sleep with the development of inspiratory flow limitation (IFL) and sleep disordered breathing causes the increased sleep fragmentation in GWS patients. The investigators hypothesize that correction of IFL and sleep disordered breathing in GWS patients will result in an improvement of their sleep quality resulting in an improvement of their sleep complaints and other functional symptoms.

Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) have repetitive episodes of partial or complete upper airway obstruction during sleep. This leads to sleep fragmentation and symptoms like excessive daytime sleepiness and impaired psychosocial well-being. More evidence now suggested OSA is associated with cardiovascular diseases like hypertension, myocardial infarction, pulmonary hypertension and stroke. The upper airway structure and function are altered in OSA. Some studies suggested that an increase in the levels of systemic biomarkers of inflammation and oxidative stress in patients with OSA. So far, there is only very limited data on non-invasive monitoring of inflammation involved in the upper airway of OSA patients. The inflammatory mechanisms involved in the upper airway may give some insights to the systemic effect, like cardiovascular complications, of OSA. Measurement of the constituents of exhaled breath and exhaled breath condensate (EBC) is a non-invasive method to assess the degree of inflammation of the airway. Exhaled nitric oxide (eNO) can be measured with the subject exhaling to a mouthpiece connected to a machine measuring real-time eNO level. With the subject exhaling to a cooling unit, EBC can be collected as liquid is formed as a result of condensation. This study will assess the eNO in exhaled breath, oxidative stress marker (8-isoprostane) and cellular inflammatory markers (eotaxin, monocyted derived chemokine, growth related oncogene- alpha, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1) in the EBC and blood of OSA patients before and after 1 night and 3 months of continuous positive airway pressure treatment.

The purpose of the study is to compare the effectiveness of soft palatal implants with placebo and continuous positive airway pressure treatment in obstructive sleep apnea.

The purpose of this study is to assess patient reported outcomes with armodafinil treatment in terms of improvement in sleepiness, satisfaction with treatment, impact on ability to engage in life activities (ie, daily or work and family and/or social activities), and effects on fatigue. Clinician ratings on patient response to armodafinil treatment will also be assessed.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

The purpose of this study is to determine if a certain medication, alone or combined with another medication, will increase muscle activity in the upper airway in people who do and people who do not have sleep apnea. The medications being studied are paroxetine, a commonly used antidepressant, and 5 hydroxy-tryptophan (5HTP), which also can be used as a dietary supplement without a prescription. Because the effects of paroxetine in previous studies were not very large, we will also study it combined with 5HTP to see if the effect on the upper airway muscles is greater.

MAIN AIMS: to analyze the efficacy of nasal CPAP treatment in patients with ischemic first-ever stroke and Sleep Apnea Syndrome (SAS) in terms of: early neurological outcome, functional recovery, quality of life influence, stroke recurrence and survival. SECONDARY AIMS: to evaluate the feasibility of the treatment in this type of patients at short and long time. DESIGN: clinical randomized case-control study. PATIENTS: younger than 75 years with a First-Ever stroke with at least one of the following criteria: snoring, observed apnea, Hypertension or Ischemic Cardiopathy. MEASUREMENTS: protocol to define subtype stroke and parenchymatous and vascular location; sleep questionnaire (including Epworth Sleepiness Scale); Respiratory Polysomnography (RPSG). If RPSG shows an AHI > 20, with predominant obstructive events, patients will be randomized in a CONTROL GROUP (conventional treatment) and a TREATMENT GROUP (with Nasal CPAP). Follow up for both groups at 1, 3, 12 and 24 months will include: early neurological outcome, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure (BP), functional recovery (Barthel Index/Canadian Scale), quality of life (SF36), recurrences, vital status. Nasal CPAP titration will be performed by means of an automatic system (Autoset Portable ST). Compliance will be recorded. If a negative RPSG is obtained (AHI < 10) (NO SAS GROUP) or with AHI < 20 (mild SAS) the usual treatment and the same follow up protocol will be established. STATISTICS: the sample size is initially calculated in 10 patients for each group, considering this is part of a multicenter study including 8 centers. If no differences are found, depending on the statistical power the investigators will consider including more patients. The different groups will be compared for the analyzed variables with the corresponding tests.

Obesity is a condition affecting one-third off the U.S. population and is a major risk actor for the development of Type 2 diabetes, hyperlipidemia (increased levels of fat in the blood), hypertension (high blood pressure), and other disorders of the heart and lungs. Individuals with the onset of obesity during childhood or adolescence are at an increased risk of obesity-related, diseases, both during adolescence and later in adult life. African American girls and women are at an increased risk for obesity, and have substantial rates of obesity-related diseases and causes of death. Further, many African American adult women fail to respond to many of the therapeutic approaches used to treat obesity. At present there are no medical therapies proven effective for the correction of severe obesity in children or adolescents. One medication that may have a favorable risk-benefit ratio in pediatric populations is Orlistat (Xenical, Hoffmann LaRoche). Orlistat works by preventing the action of enzymes in the digestive process, interfering with the absorption of approximately 1/3 of the fat eaten in the diet. Xenical appears to be effective for reducing weight and obesity-associated diseases in obese adults. Researchers propose to determine the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of Xenical in 12-17 year old severely obese African American and Caucasian children and adolescents who have one or more obesity-related disease (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, sleep apnea, hepatic steatosis, insulin resistance, impaired glucose tolerance, or Type 2 diabetes).