Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0037315 (sleep apnea)
 8,000 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Sleep structure is qualitatively and quantitatively changed by aging. The elderly usually go to bed in early evening and wake up in early morning, and they also take several naps in the day time. The polyphasic sleep is one of the typical sleep patterns found in the elderly. Comparing the sleep of the elderly with that of young adults by the method of polysomnography, the characteristics of the sleep of the elderly are in the prolongation of sleep latency, shortening of total sleep time, increase of Stage W and Stage 1, decrease of Stage 3 and 4, and also decrease of Stage REM and the advance of REM phase. Insomnia is a frequently observed symptom in the elderly. The so-called psychophysiological insomnia due to transient psychological or situational stress is common in the elderly. However, insomnia following the mental disturbance (depression), chronic use of drug or alcohol, dementia (vascular or Alzheimer type) are also important in the elderly. Sleep apnea syndrome is recently found as an important cause of insomnia. Concerning the treatment and prevention of insomnia, it is necessary to exclude the causes of insomnia, to improve the environmental conditions and to keep the regular rhythm of sleep-wake cycle. It is also important to carefully select and use the adequate hypnotics considering the pharmacokinetics and adverse effects of the drugs in the elderly.
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PMID:[Sleep disturbance in the elderly]. 219 Nov 61

Sleepwalking and related disorders are the result of factors that predispose, prime and precipitate episodes. In the absence of one or more of these factors sleepwalking is unlikely to occur. Predisposition to sleepwalking is based on genetic susceptibility and has a familial pattern. Priming factors include conditions and substances that increase slow wave sleep (SWS) or make arousal from sleep more difficult. These factors include sleep deprivation, alcohol, medications, situational stress and fever among others. The patient with a genetic predisposition to sleepwalking and with priming factors still requires a precipitating factor or trigger to set the sleepwalking episode in motion. Classical theories of sleepwalking were based primarily on case reports. Recently some of these theories have been tested in the sleep laboratory. Experimental sleep deprivation studies of sleepwalkers generally report an increase in complex behaviors during SWS, although one prominent study reported the opposite effect. However, the generally accepted theory that alcohol and medications can induce sleepwalking episodes remains entirely based on clinical and forensic case reports. Alleged cases of alcohol related sleepwalking often involve individuals lacking the generally accepted characteristics of sleepwalkers but with very high blood alcohol levels that could in and of itself account for complex behaviors noted without the presence of sleepwalking. Further, the effects of high levels of alcohol dramatically decrease SWS, a finding inconsistent with sleepwalking. Case reports of medication-related induction of apparent sleepwalking most often present a complex medical and psychiatric history associated with multiple medications. These patients often lack the clinical history and other criteria currently required for the diagnosis of sleepwalking. The medication-related behaviors may instead represent some other condition in an awake, but impaired patient. Sleep laboratory research has identified sleep disordered breathing, periodic leg movements, noise and touch among others as proximal triggers of sleepwalking episodes. Treatment of these triggers may result in resolution of sleepwalking without medication. Further sleep laboratory research is needed before experimental findings can be used for routine diagnostic and forensic purposes.
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PMID:Factors that predispose, prime and precipitate NREM parasomnias in adults: clinical and forensic implications. 1749 Sep 3