April 26, 2004 - Sleep apnea has a grave impact on a person's health and quality of life. The good news is that the disorder is increasingly on physicians' and patients' radar screens. Article from American Medical News.

February 17, 2004 - A less invasive throat surgery than has been used for sleep apnea appears more effective at correcting the disruptive disorder. Report from from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taipei via Reuters/Yahoo. (link is no longer available)

September 25, 2003 - The latest issue of Nephron contains the results of a study that tested the effects of zaleplon (ZAL), a new nonbenzodiazepine hypnotic drug, on the sleep quality of maintenance hemodialysis patients with insomnia."Zaleplon Improves Sleep Quality in Maintenance Hemodialysis Patients" - abstract from Nephron

July 24, 2003 - A small study found a new oral device, when used during sleep, helps people with sleep apnea. Story from HealthDay/Yahoo!. (link is no longer available)

June 21, 2003 - People with a common breathing disorder which strikes while they are asleep could be at increased risk of getting diabetes later in life. Story from the BBC.

February 6, 2003 - Sleep problems are common in the elderly, with more than half experiencing routine sleep disturbances that can affect their quality of life. Now new research finds that poor sleepers were twice as likely to die during a 12-year period. Story from WebMD. (link is no longer available)

December 14, 2002 - A study published in the current issue of Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation (NDT) examines the association between quality of sleep and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in hemodialysis patients independent of known predictors of HRQoL."Quality of sleep and health-related quality of life in haemodialysis patients" - abstract from NDT

May 18, 2002 - Sleep apnea appears to be associated with a higher prevalence and severity of hypertension in patients undergoing hemodialysis. Summary from Doctor's Guide.

May 1, 2002 - A study published in the current issue of Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation (NDT) shows that the prevalence of insomnia in hemodialysis patients is still very high. Abstract from NDT.

Hemodialysis patients with a major risk of insomnia include elderly patients, those with longer time on dialysis, and those with high levels of PTH. The study also showed that the type of dialysis, haemoglobin levels and behavioural factors do not seem to play a critical role in insomnia.


April 9, 2002 - A new study shows that half of all people with a chronic physical illness are also likely to suffer from insomnia, which severely worsens their overall quality of life. Story from Reuters Health/Yahoo. (link is no longer available)

There are at least 84 sleep disorders, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and each can lead to fatigue and reduced health. (link is no longer available)

Related web sites:

The National Sleep Foundation

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine

January 24, 2001 - Individuals that grind their teeth during sleep are also likely to experience snoring, breathing pauses during sleep, and obstructive sleep apnea.

The abstract will appear in CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians, on Jan. 31.

January 20, 2001 - Individuals with mild to moderate respiratory events during sleep have a according to a study released this week. Story from WebMD. (link is no longer available)

Here is the abstract from the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

Here is the web site of the National Center on Sleep Disorders Research.

January 10, 2001 - This week's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) has an article entitled,"Improvement of Sleep Apnea in Patients with Chronic Renal Failure Who Undergo Nocturnal Hemodialysis". This paper comes from the Nocturnal Home Hemodialysis (NHHD) program in Toronto. Click here to view the abstract.

A related editorial also appears in this week's NEJM entitled,"Hemodialysis as an Artificial Lung in Sleep Apnea" by Eli A. Friedman, MD .(link is no longer available)

This article is getting wide coverage in the general press. Here are the stories from Bloomberg financial news (link is no longer available),

CNN interactive (link is no longer available), and from Reuters Health/Yahoo (link is no longer available).

This article raises two issues that are likely to grow in importance: sleep apnea and daily hemodialysis. Sleep apnea has been suspected in playing a role in the high mortality rate for dialysis patients. Daily hemodialysis reduces sleep apnea. Daily hemodialysis, unfortunately, is expensive and is not covered by current Medicare reimbursement.

Here is the web site of the American Sleep Apnea Association.

Here are two dialysis providers offering nocturnal home hemodialysis:Lynchburg Nephrology (in Virginia) has documents, charts, and patient videos on their nightly home hemodialysis program.

The Nocturnal Home Hemodialysis (NHHD) program in Toronto has been in operation since 1994. Here is a page of answers to Frequently Asked Questions about Nocturnal Home Hemodialysis that has been prepared by their staff.There are a number of companies currently working on an easy-to-operate home hemodialysis machine. As the most expensive component of an in-center hemodialysis treatment is nursing labor, this new generation of hemodialysis machines may offer governments and insurance companies a less expensive treatment modality. This new technology may also make daily hemodialysis, with all its long-term health benefits, an affordable reality.

The Aksys, Ltd. web site has a number of articles about Daily Hemodialysis. (link is no longer available)

Here is a search result listing from the National Library of Medicine's PubMed search tool for the topic "home hemodialysis".

Here is the table of contents of the second issue of the Home Hemodialysis Today journa (May 2000). (link is no longer available)

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