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Snoring Tied to Pregnancy
Disorder
A
new study from Australia suggests pregnant women who snore may be at a greater
risk for a potentially fatal condition called preeclampsia, a
hypertensive disorder. Researchers led by Dr. Colin Sullivan of the
University of Sydney studied 32 pregnant women with severe preeclampsia and 14
women who had normal pregnancies. Preeclampsia is a condition in which the
mother's blood pressure rises dramatically during pregnancy and may rise again
during delivery.
According to the study, all of the women with
preeclampsia developed snoring during pregnancy. Less than half of the
pregnant women who did not have preeclampsia snored. Researchers also found
that in all of the preeclampsia patients, blood pressure increased during the
night and was accompanied by partial obstruction of air passages. Sleep and
snoring can increase carbon dioxide levels, which then causes a narrowing of
blood vessels and a rise in blood pressure. Wearing a CPAP mask that maintains
oxygen intake while patients sleep can treat people who snore and suffer from
sleep apnea during their pregnancy months. Laser surgery before or after
pregnancy may correct the snoring and reduce the intensity of sleep apnea as
well. Researchers suggest such treatment may improve nocturnal blood pressure
in preeclampsia women.
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