title: Do patients with the sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome drink more alcohol?
abstract: As alcohol ingestion may worsen the sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome, we have investigated the alcohol consumption of patients with the sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome in comparison to control subjects to determine whether patients with the sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome drink excessively. A lifetime alcohol history was taken from each. There was no significant difference between the 50 patients with the sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome and 95 age-matched controls in either the lifetime (patients 27, SEM 5 x 10(3); controls 26, SEM 4 x 10(3) units) or current (12, SEM 2; 12, SEM 2 units per week) alcohol consumption. There was no evidence that alcohol consumption was related to the development of arterial carbon dioxide retention or peripheral edema in such individuals.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Edinburgh, U.K.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Jalleh
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Fitzpatrick
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mathur
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Douglas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013577:Syndrome