Sleep apnea may complicate diabetes care

Untreated obstructive sleep apnea may affect the health of people with type 2 diabetes, a new study shows. Obstructive sleep apnea is a treatable disorder that results in episodes of stopped breathing due to blockages in the airway during sleep. The sleeping disorder may adversely affect glucose control, making the health problems associated with type 2 diabetes even worse, University of Chicago scientists report in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, a publication of the American Thoracic Society. The study, involving 60 people with type 2 diabetes, demonstrates "for the first time that there is a clear, graded inverse relationship between [obstructive sleep apnea] severity and glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes," says study researcher, Renee S. Aronsohn, MD, of the University of Chicago, in a news release - webMD