According to a Medscape news report, a new study finds that obstructive sleep apnea is common in individuals with type 1 diabetes and is linked to abnormal glycemia and microvascular complications.
The link between type 1 diabetes and OSA has been reported in three previous small trials, but this study of 90 adults with type 1 diabetes is the largest such trial to date and the first to use both continuous glucose monitoring and sleep studies to investigate the relationship between OSA and both hypo- and hyperglycemic variation, Dr Meyer explained.
In the study, OSA was particularly common among those with long disease duration and was associated with higher rates of diabetes complications, including retinopathy and peripheral neuropathy.
“The main message for clinicians is to think of OSA in type 1 patients with a long duration of diabetes. With the design of our study we can’t say check at 10 or 15 years, but in my opinion if [a patient has] a duration of more than 20 years, it’s important to check for OSA,” Dr Meyer told Medscape Medical News in an interview.
