The Interactions between Sleep Disordered Breathing, Metabolic Syndrome and Vascular Risk.

我们将研究澳大利亚社区的两种常见疾病，即代谢综合征和阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停（OSA），并探讨它们与心脏和血管疾病风险之间的共同联系。然后，我们将选取一组同时患有这两种疾病的患者，治疗阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停，并评估这种治疗对他们心血管健康的影响。代谢综合征是指患有高血糖、肥胖、高血脂和血压升高的患者。澳大利亚统计局估计，一半的澳大利亚人口超重，而美国的研究表明，几乎所有的成年人都患有代谢综合征。这与心脏和血管疾病密切相关，例如心脏病发作和中风。阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停症患者在夜间喉咙紧闭时停止呼吸。血氧下降，导致病人暂时醒来，然后又开始呼吸。这个循环在整个晚上不断重复。通常的治疗方法是将气泵（CPAP）连接到鼻罩上，将空气吹入喉咙，防止堵塞。这种疾病与高血压、高血糖、心脏和血管疾病密切相关。代谢综合征患者将通过夜间睡眠研究来诊断阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停，给出这组患者患阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停的可能性。然后对他们的心脏和血管健康进行广泛的调查。由此，我们将确定OSA的哪些方面更容易导致心血管疾病。诊断为OSA的患者将接受3个月的CPAP治疗。一半的患者将接受正常的CPAP；另一半则接受无效的CPAP。然后他们将被重新测试，我们将比较治疗前后的结果。因此，我们将测量这一大群患者患阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停的可能性，以及他们从治疗阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停中可能获得的健康益处。

We will look at two common diseases in the Australian community, the metabolic syndrome and obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), and explore the common links they have to the risk of disease of the heart and blood vessels. We will then take a group of patients who have both diseases, treat the OSA, and assess the impact of this treatment on their cardiovascular health. Metabolic syndrome is a term given to patients who have high blood sugar, obesity, high lipid levels and raised blood pressure. The Australian Bureau of Statistics estimates that half the Australian population is overweight, and US studies suggest that nearly of the adult population has metabolic syndrome. This is strongly linked to diseases of the heart and blood vessels, eg heart attacks and stroke. Patients with OSA stop breathing during the night when their throat closes over. The blood oxygen falls, which causes the patient to wake momentarily, then start breathing again. This cycle repeats itself throughout the night. The usual treatment is an air pump (CPAP) connected to a nose mask, which blows air into the throat and prevents closure. This disease is strongly linked to high blood pressure, raised blood sugar levels and heart and blood vessel disease. Patients with the metabolic syndrome will have an overnight sleep study to diagnose OSA, giving the likelihood of having OSA in this group of patients. They will then have extensive investigations of the health of their heart and blood vessels. From these, we will determine which aspects of OSA are more likely to result in cardiovascular disease. Those patients diagnosed with OSA will be treated with CPAP for 3 months. Half the patients will receive normal CPAP; the other half will receive ineffective CPAP. They will then be re-tested and we will compare the results before and after treatment. Thus we will measure likelihood of OSA in this large group of patients, and the health benefits they may gain from treatment of their OSA.