Association of thromboxane B2 production to hypoxemic periods during sleep in male stroke patients.
To evaluate the possible association between sleep apneas and platelet function, we recorded sleep-related hypoxemic periods and measured platelet thromboxane B2 release in 10 male patients with a previous brain infarction. Four of them revealed an increased morning release of thromboxane B2 compared with the night before, whereas six had an opposite situation. Those with an increased morning release revealed more hypoxemic episodes during the night than the others (median numbers were 58.5 and 2, respectively; p = 0.031), suggesting that sleep apneas may influence platelet function among male stroke victims. This finding might be involved in the suggested role of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome as a risk factor for ischemic stroke as well as the peaking of ischemic strokes in the early morning hours.
From the Department of Neurology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.
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H
Palomäki
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M
Kaste