VOA标准英语2012--C-PAP Could Help Heart Patients

 

C-PAP Could Help Heart Patients

Anyone whose husband, wife or partner who snores loudly is probably wishing for a separate bedroom. It's the telltale sign of obstructive sleep apnea, a chronic¹ disorder² in which the person experiences shallow breathing or frequent pauses in breathing while asleep.

In apnea, throat muscles and other tissue in the back of the throat periodically block the airway³. 

The brain reacts by lifting the throat muscles away from the windpipe and the individual wakes up often struggling for air. By then, researchers say, the level of blood oxygen has dropped and the quality of sleep has been affected⁴ by stress hormones⁵.

Obstructive sleep apnea affects less than 10 percent of people across many countries. More men than women have it, and it is more common among the elderly.

"At night, sometimes I wake up without air and sometimes my husband [says] I snore a lot," said Montse Oliver who suffers from the condition.

If left untreated, sleep apnea increases the risk of high blood pressure, obesity⁶, cardiovascular disease such as heart attack and stroke. New research also raises a possible link to cancer.

The standard treatment for this disorder is C-PAP, or continuous positive airway pressure. The machine blows a controlled stream of air down the throat, correcting the blockage⁷. Patients should feel rested after a good night's sleep.

But researchers in Spain wanted to know how effective C-PAP is in treating hypertension and cardiovascular symptoms in sleep apnea patients, in particular those who did not experience sleepiness during the day.

Dr. Ferran Barbè from the Research Institute in Llieda and colleagues studied more than 700 patients with the sleep disorder and followed up over four years. Some of the patients used the C-PAP machine. Others did not. 

"We found a slight decrease in the incidence of hypertension and new cardiovascular events in the C-PAP group," said Barbè. "However, the results did not reach a statistically⁸ significant difference."

A second study, also in Spain, looked at whether C-PAP reduced blood pressure in apnea patients recently diagnosed with hypertension. 

That study did show a reduced risk of hypertension by almost 30 percent compared to the control group.

While both studies document the benefits of C-PAP, the researchers say larger studies with longer follow-up are needed.

The studies were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. 

1 chronic   

adj.(疾病)长期未愈的，慢性的；极坏的

参考例句：

• Famine differs from chronic malnutrition.饥荒不同于慢性营养不良。
• Chronic poisoning may lead to death from inanition.慢性中毒也可能由虚弱导致死亡。

2 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

3 airway   

n.空中航线，通风口

参考例句：

• Lay them on their side and ensure the airway is unobstructed.让他们侧躺着，并确保呼吸道畅通。
• There is a purple airway in London Airport.伦敦机场里有一条皇家专用飞机跑道。

4 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

5 hormones   

n. 荷尔蒙，激素 名词hormone的复数形式

参考例句：

• This hormone interacts closely with other hormones in the body. 这种荷尔蒙与体內其他荷尔蒙紧密地相互作用。
• The adrenals produce a large per cent of a man's sex hormones. 肾上腺分泌人体的大部分性激素。

6 obesity   

n.肥胖，肥大

参考例句：

• One effect of overeating may be obesity.吃得过多能导致肥胖。
• Sugar and fat can more easily lead to obesity than some other foods.糖和脂肪比其他食物更容易导致肥胖。

7 blockage   

n.障碍物；封锁

参考例句：

• The logical treatment is to remove this blockage.合理的治疗方法就是清除堵塞物。
• If the blockage worked,they could retreat with dignity.如果封锁发生作用，他们可以体面地撤退。

8 statistically   

ad.根据统计数据来看，从统计学的观点来看

参考例句：

• The sample of building permits is larger and therefore, statistically satisfying. 建筑许可数的样本比较大，所以统计数据更令人满意。
• The results of each test would have to be statistically independent. 每次试验的结果在统计上必须是独立的。