Sleep Apnea, Not Enlarged Prostate, May Be Causing Men to Wake Up in the Night
Sleep Apnea, Not Enlarged Prostate, May Be Causing Men to Wake Up in the Night
March 14, 2011
Medical Research, Press Releases
BEER-SHEVA, ISRAEL, March 14, 2011– Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have shown that a significant number of patients with benign prostate enlargement (BPE) may have Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), which may be the reason for their night awakenings and urination.
This study compared men between the ages of 55 and 75 years-old, who were randomly sampled from primary care clinics, diagnosed with BPE and reported nocturia at least once nightly. The comparison control group had no BPE and one or no nocturia episodes per night.
According to the new study published in the Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, the BGU researchers found that more than half (57.8 percent) of patients with enlarged prostates may in fact have the sleep disorder, and that the awakenings that patients ascribed to their need to urinate at night may be actually caused by their sleep disorders.
Waking during the night to void, known as “nocturia” is a common BPE symptom. OSA is a sleep disorder characterized by snoring, witnessed apneas, awakenings and day sleepiness.
“If nocturia severity in BPE patients is actually a pre-existing sleep disorder, this can now be treated and help improve patients’ quality of life,” explains Dr. Howard Tandeter, a researcher in BGU’s Department of Family Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences. He recommends that physicians following patients with BPE who report frequent awakenings from sleep to urinate should suspect OSA as a possible cause and treat accordingly.
“Even among those patients with well-defined medical reasons for nocturia, sleep disorders may still be found as the source of most awakenings from sleep. Therefore, the diagnosis of a sleep disorder should be seriously considered whenever a patient reports frequent awakenings from sleep to urinate since the problem is treatable,” explains Tandeter.
Howard Tandeter, MD, Sammy Gendler,1 Jacob Dreiher, MD, MPH, and Ariel Tarasiuk, PhD.
1Faculty of Health Sciences, Siaal Research Center for Family Medicine and Primary Care
2 Department of Family Medicine, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (HT, JD, AT)
3Clalit Health Services (HT, JD); and the Sleep-Wake Disorders Unit, Soroka University Medical Center (AT), Beer-Sheva, Israel.
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By supporting a world-class academic institution that not only nurtures the Negev, but also shares its expertise locally and globally, Americans for Ben-Gurion University engages a community of Americans who are committed to improving the world. David Ben-Gurion envisioned that Israel’s future would be forged in the Negev. The cutting-edge research carried out at Ben-Gurion University drives that vision by sustaining a desert Silicon Valley, with the “Stanford of the Negev” at its center. The Americans for Ben-Gurion University movement supports a 21st century unifying vision for Israel by rallying around BGU’s remarkable work and role as an apolitical beacon of light in the Negev desert.
About Ben-Gurion University of the Negev
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev embraces the endless potential we have as individuals and as a commonality to adapt and to thrive in changing environments. Inspired by our location in the desert, we aim to discover, to create, and to develop solutions to dynamic challenges, to pose questions that have yet to be asked, and to push beyond the boundaries of the commonly accepted and possible.
We are proud to be a central force for inclusion, diversity and innovation in Israel, and we strive to extend the Negev’s potential and our entrepreneurial spirit throughout the world. For example, the multi-disciplinary School for Sustainability and Climate Change at BGU leverages over 50 years of expertise on living and thriving in the desert into scalable solutions for people everywhere.
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20,000 students | 800 senior faculty | 3 campuses | 6 faculties: humanities & social sciences, health sciences, engineering sciences, natural sciences, business & management, and desert research.
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