Search results

Introduction: Sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS) is a serious under-diagnosed chronic disease, which often coincides with arterial hypertension (AH). The U.S. Joint National Committee considers SAS to be the most common cause of secondary arterial hypertension. Objective: To determine the incidence of arterial hypertension in patients diagnosed with SAS in an accredited sleep laboratory (ASL) in Bratislava in the years 2013-2022. Methods: The monitored group consisted of 688 patients examined in an ASL in Bratislava who underwent an initial examination (anamnesis, anthropometry, sleep questionnaire) and a diagnosis of sleep-disordered breathing (nocturnal polysomnography) in order to confirm or refute the diagnosis of OSAS. Data collection also took place by using a copy of the patients' medical records (presence of AH). We used Microsoft Excel and statistical software SPSS, version 21.0 to process the obtained data. We considered the result to be statistically significant if p ≤ 0.05. Results: We demonstrated a statistically significant difference in the incidence of AH in patients with SAS compared to patients without SAS, i.e., there was a statistically significantly higher incidence of AH in patients with SAS compared to patients without SAS (39% vs. 17.5%; OR=3.0; p<0.001). We also demonstrated that the higher the AHI value in patients with SAS, the higher the incidence of AH (p=0.002; 95% CI 1.4 – 4.4). In addition, there was a 1.9 times higher risk of developing AH in patients with a moderate degree of SAS compared to patients with a mild degree of SAS (p=0.014) and up to a 2.8 times higher risk of developing AH in patients with a severe degree of SAS compared to patients with moderate SAS (p<0.001) regardless of BMI. Conclusion: Due to the high coincidence (1/3) of arterial hypertension and sleep apnoea syndrome in the monitored group, it is necessary to focus on effective screening of SAS in high-risk persons as well as effective screening of SAS in persons with present AH.

Introduction: Diseases of civilization represent a group of diseases that have common risk factors as a result of long-term exposure to an unhealthy lifestyle, an unhealthy diet, smoking, a lack of physical activity and stress. Aim of the research: To find out whether random respondents who took part in the "Days of Health" event at the Bardejov Spa have basic knowledge about diseases of civilization. Based on the findings, draw recommendations for practice. Research sample group: 398 respondents: 305 women and 93 men. The average age of the respondents was 56.4 years (+-12.8 years). Methodology: On a voluntary and anonymous basis, the patients filled out a questionnaire focused on their knowledge about diseases of civilization. The questionnaire contained both closed and open questions. Results: The authors of the article analyzed respondents' answers. The results were statistically processed. Conclusion: Our results show that there is a need for repeated interventions by health care workers (doctors, nurses) and public health workers to spread awareness about diseases of civilization and the possibility of their prevention. Increasing the level of health literacy is a good prerequisite for a healthier population.