Sleep apnea abates for some obese patients who lose weight

Most of the 264 patients in the randomized national study still had sleep apnea - 13.6 percent of the weight-loss group went into remission vs. 3.5 percent of the same-weight controls - but many of those who dropped pounds also dropped to a less severe form of apnea.

Obstructive sleep apnea is caused by constant, brief interruptions in nighttime sleep, which leads to daytime tiredness (and very annoying snoring). By far the most effective treatment is to sleep with a (very annoying) machine, known as CPAP (for "continuous positive airway pressure"), that keeps breathing passages open.

The study, in the current Archives of Internal Medicine, doesn't change that prescription. And since all the participants had type 2 diabetes, it's not clear how the findings apply to the general population.

"People without diabetes who have milder apnea may get [far greater] remission," said lead author Gary Foster, director of Temple University's Center for Obesity Research.

- Don Sapatkin

Seek care after mild stroke to reduce risk of repeat attacks

That advice, well-known in the medical community, was reiterated in a study last week in the journal Neurology.

Among more than 16,000 patients who suffered an acute stroke, one in eight had previously suffered a transient ischemic attack, or mild stroke.

Those who had previous strokes were typically older and more likely to have diabetes, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and angina.

Other studies have suggested that careful treatment of warning strokes can reduce the risk of repeat attacks by up to 80 percent, the authors wrote.
- Tom Avril

Is your doctor relaying the cons of prostate cancer screening?

Actually, this practice remains controversial. There is a lack of convincing evidence that screening saves lives, and it may lead to "overtreatment" - meaning surgery or radiation of early-stage cancers that would not have become life-threatening. And the care often causes incontinence or impotence, or both.

In that context, researchers from the New Mexico VA Health Care System and the University of New Mexico surveyed 375 men over age 40 to learn whether their doctors had discussed the cons as well as the pros of screening.

Although the men felt informed and involved in the screening decision, only 32 percent reported discussing the downsides of screening, and all incorrectly answered at least one of three questions about cancer risk and screening.

The findings suggest doctors are not adequately informing their patients about the complexity of screening, concludes the study, published last week in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

- Marie McCullough

Involved parents have teens who are safer, less-risky drivers

Two new studies by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia suggest ways parents can reduce risky driving behaviors such as using cell phones, failing to wear seat belts, and driving while intoxicated.

Parenting style has a real impact on their children's driving safety, the researchers found, using data on 5,665 high-school-age children from the 2006 National Young Driver Survey.

Teens of parents who were supportive, established rules, and monitored their children were 71 percent less likely to drink and drive compared with the children of uninvolved parents. Those more closely watched children were also less likely to use cell phones while driving, the researchers said.

The study in Pediatrics found that parents would be well-served by setting rules and monitoring their children's driving behavior in a supportive manner.

In a separate study in Pediatrics this month, Children's researchers reported that teens who were the primary drivers of a car or truck had double the risk of having an accident as those who shared access to a vehicle.
- Josh Goldstein