A mobile device for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is exhibited at Taiwan Expo in HCM City (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNS/VNA) – An estimated 800,000 people in Vietnam sufferfrom obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), which requires expensivepolysomnography and respiratory polygraphy screening tests.
Duong Quy Sy, Chairman of the ASEAN Sleep Federation, saidthat polygraphy tests record patients’ brain waves, oxygen level in the blood,heart rate, breathing, and eye and leg movements.
Speaking at a conference on sleep medicine held last weekend at Pham Ngoc ThachUniversity of Medicine, Sy said: “OSA is a serious pathology and major riskfactor for cardiovascular diseases.”
The serious sleep disorder impairs quality of life, as well as intellectual andprofessional performances, and can also lead to accidents in the workplace andin traffic, he added.
“Untreated OSAS increases the rate of road traffic accidents and work-relatedand domestic accidents because patients often fall asleep or experience severedaytime drowsiness while driving,” Sy said.
A single road accident due to sleepiness caused by OSAS can incur considerablehealth costs, he said, adding that undiagnosed OSAS leads to higher medicalcosts.
“Family medicine clinics should screen patients to find out if they have a highrisk of OSAS and refer them to specialised centres for polysomnography or evenrespiratory polygraphy,” Sy said.
The cost for diagnosis of OSAS is rather high, he said.
A sleep lab, for instance, is worth 100,000 to 200,000 USD. The cost of polysomnographyis 150-200 USD and 50-75 USD for respiratory polygraphy.
Patients with severe OSAS need continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)treatment which costs 1,000 to 2,000 USD.
“Currently, the country’s health insurance fund has not yet covered this costfor CPAP treatment,” he added.
The country has nearly 10 centres for polysomnography or even respiratorypolygraphy, most of them in large cities such as HCM City and Hanoi.
“Less than 300 use continuous positive airway pressure treatment,” Sy said.
Sleep medicine expert Nguyen Xuan Bich Huyen of the Community Health CareCentre said that smoking, secondhand smoke, overuse of tranquillizers,diabetes, and abnormal skull and facial structure could lead to OSAS.
Patients with the disorder often experience excessive daytime sleepiness, loudsnoring, nighttime sweating and other symptoms.
“They also experience mood changes, such as depression or irritability, andhave difficulty concentrating during the day and have morning headaches,” Huyensaid.
Dr Sy said that OSAS is an independent risk factor for hypertension andincrease risk of cardiovascular disease, abnormal glucose metabolism, anddepression.
It also is associated with cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and metabolicdisorders, he said.
“It increases morbidity and mortality in the general population,” he said,adding that OSAS is associated with a large number of medical complaints andwith annual healthcare costs per person of 50 percent to 100 percent more thanthose for the general population.-VNS/VNA
Duong Quy Sy, Chairman of the ASEAN Sleep Federation, saidthat polygraphy tests record patients’ brain waves, oxygen level in the blood,heart rate, breathing, and eye and leg movements.
Speaking at a conference on sleep medicine held last weekend at Pham Ngoc ThachUniversity of Medicine, Sy said: “OSA is a serious pathology and major riskfactor for cardiovascular diseases.”
The serious sleep disorder impairs quality of life, as well as intellectual andprofessional performances, and can also lead to accidents in the workplace andin traffic, he added.
“Untreated OSAS increases the rate of road traffic accidents and work-relatedand domestic accidents because patients often fall asleep or experience severedaytime drowsiness while driving,” Sy said.
A single road accident due to sleepiness caused by OSAS can incur considerablehealth costs, he said, adding that undiagnosed OSAS leads to higher medicalcosts.
“Family medicine clinics should screen patients to find out if they have a highrisk of OSAS and refer them to specialised centres for polysomnography or evenrespiratory polygraphy,” Sy said.
The cost for diagnosis of OSAS is rather high, he said.
A sleep lab, for instance, is worth 100,000 to 200,000 USD. The cost of polysomnographyis 150-200 USD and 50-75 USD for respiratory polygraphy.
Patients with severe OSAS need continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)treatment which costs 1,000 to 2,000 USD.
“Currently, the country’s health insurance fund has not yet covered this costfor CPAP treatment,” he added.
The country has nearly 10 centres for polysomnography or even respiratorypolygraphy, most of them in large cities such as HCM City and Hanoi.
“Less than 300 use continuous positive airway pressure treatment,” Sy said.
Sleep medicine expert Nguyen Xuan Bich Huyen of the Community Health CareCentre said that smoking, secondhand smoke, overuse of tranquillizers,diabetes, and abnormal skull and facial structure could lead to OSAS.
Patients with the disorder often experience excessive daytime sleepiness, loudsnoring, nighttime sweating and other symptoms.
“They also experience mood changes, such as depression or irritability, andhave difficulty concentrating during the day and have morning headaches,” Huyensaid.
Dr Sy said that OSAS is an independent risk factor for hypertension andincrease risk of cardiovascular disease, abnormal glucose metabolism, anddepression.
It also is associated with cardiovascular, cerebrovascular and metabolicdisorders, he said.
“It increases morbidity and mortality in the general population,” he said,adding that OSAS is associated with a large number of medical complaints andwith annual healthcare costs per person of 50 percent to 100 percent more thanthose for the general population.-VNS/VNA
VNA
