Diabetes More Common in Snorers, Problem Sleepers

New York City, NY - July 4, 2003 (Reuters Health)

New research shows that a pre-diabetic condition and full-fledged diabetes occur more frequently in people who snore or who have a sleep disorder called sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is associated with a higher-than-average risk of cardiovascular disease, and these findings suggest that the relatively high prevalence of diabetes and a pre-diabetic condition known as insulin resistance among people with the sleep disorder may be to blame.

Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of sleep apnea, is caused by a collapse of tissues in the throat during sleep, leading to numerous, brief interruptions in breathing.

The condition has been linked to high blood pressure and increased risks of heart attack and stroke, and is more common among overweight and obese individuals.

Besides loud, heavy snoring, symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing include daytime sleepiness, morning headaches and energy loss.

During the current study, reported in the European Respiratory Journal, Dr. Nicole Meslier of the University Hospital in Angers, France, and colleagues tested 595 men suspected of having obstructive sleep apnea to determine whether they, in fact, had the disorder.

The researchers then performed additional tests to see whether participants had insulin resistance or full-blown type 2 diabetes -- the most common form of diabetes, often associated with obesity.

In insulin resistance a person loses his or her ability to use this key blood-sugar-regulating hormone effectively.

A total of 494 men suspected of having sleep apnea did have the condition, while another 101 men were simply diagnosed as snorers. Among men with sleep apnea, 30 percent were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and 20 percent showed signs of being resistant to insulin.

Among the snorers, 14 percent had type 2 diabetes, and another 14 percent were resistant to insulin.

In France, where the study was conducted, only four to nine percent of adults between ages 45 and 74 are diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, according to the report.

Insulin resistance "may contribute to the cardiovascular morbidity and mortality associated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome," the authors write.

Source: European Respiratory Journal 2003;22:1-5.