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Demographic, clinic and polisomnographic differences between men and women

Verona Mihai, Gianina Rusu, Traian Mihaescu
Demographic, clinic and polisomnographic differences between men and women

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is still an undiagnosed disease in women, possibly due to differences in clinical presentation or a higher tolerance to symptoms. There are no studies to assess these differences in Romanian population. We conducted this study to assess these differences (demographics, clinical presentation, and polysomnographic findings) between men and women.

Our study group comprised 131 patients (57 women) diagnosed with OSA in the sleep lab from Clinic of Pulmonary Diseases, Iasi, Romania. We analyzed polysomnographic recordings, demographic data and all the information gathered in their perso nal files from sleep lab.

Women were significantly older than men (59.3 ± 12.6 vs, 46.7± 22.8), and their body mass index was also significantly higher (39.6 ± 5.7 vs, 31.2 ± 7.9). Women declared more frequent insomnia, morning headaches and excessive daytime sleepiness. Men accuse more frequent snoring and witnessed apneas. Apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was statistically higher in men compared to women (64.0 ±25.7 vs, 45±21.9, p< 0,001), and also the snoring percentage (35.7±23.9 vs. 16,8±2,5, P<0,001); women had a higher sleep onset latency (26,8±36,5 vs. 20.6±25.4, P<0,03), the arousal index was significantly higher in women than in men (AI: 42.7±34.5 vs. 25.4 ± 15.6, P<0,04), and also an increased total sleep time was observed in women compared to men. There were no significant differences between time bellow 90% saturation in men vs. women. Conclusion: women with OSA are presenting with complaints that send us to other disorders than sleep apnea

(depressive moods, insomnia, morning headaches) and the polysomnographic features that characterize sleep quality are more affected in women. Clinicians need to be aware of these differences when assessing women for the possibility of OSA in order to allow a correct ma -

nagement of the disease.

Key words: Obstructive sleep apnea, women, polysomnography

Lung metastases secondary to lung cancer

Corina Bluoss
Lung metastases secondary to lung cancer

Objectives: The goal of this study is to establish the surgical options in the management of patients with lung metastases secondary to lung cancer.

Material and method: A retrospective study was performed on 34 patients admitted in our hospital between January 2000 and June 2009.

Results: Most of the patients were males over 45 years old. There are 2 groups: one (the most numerous) represents the patients in whom the metastases were discovered concomitantly with the symptomatic primary lung tumor and the other group consists in patients who previously underwent surgery and in whom the metastases were detected at imagistic postoperative follow-ups after a variable disease-free interval of time ranging from 5 months to 11 years. The therapeutic option most commonly used in the first-group patients was pneumonectomy and wedge resection in the second group. Post-operative evolution was favourable in 88% of the cases.

Conclusions: The surgical treatment of lung metastases secondary to lung cancer is a valuable therapeutic option. When surgical treatment is indicated the most frequently used technique is wedge resection followed by pneumonectomy. The postoperative imaging follow-ups play an important role in the early detection of lung metastases developing after the surgical management of the primary lung tumour.

Key words: lung metastases, lung cancer, wedge resection, pneumonectomy.