In the News

July 26, 2002 Contact: Bobbie Schorr, (520) 626-1012

Arizona Respiratory Center Part of Major NIH Grant To Assess Primary Treatment for Sleep Apnea

The Arizona Respiratory Center is part of a major study to test whether the primary treatment for obstructive sleep apnea can improve the ability to think and reason and enhance the quality of life for those who suffer from this major sleep disorder.

The Arizona Respiratory Center, in conjunction with Stanford University and Harvard University's Brigham and Women's Hospital, was awarded a $10 million, five-year grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

For the more than 15 million Americans with sleep apnea, sleep is interrupted by many periods in which the airway becomes blocked. This wakes the person throughout the night and leaves them with a host of daytime problems, such as drowsiness and difficulties concentrating, reacting and organizing information.

This major grant will allow the Arizona Respiratory Center, Stanford and Brigham and Women's to evaluate continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the primary treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. With CPAP treatment, continuous pressure is applied in the airways to help keep them open while you sleep.

"Obstructive sleep apnea can have major debilitating effects," says Stuart Quan, MD, a nationally recognized sleep expert and the UA site director. "This study seeks to determine if CPAP treatment does, in fact, improve neurocognitive function as well as mood, sleepiness and quality of life in those with sleep apnea."

Dr. Quan, who also is associate director of the Arizona Respiratory Center and chief of the Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine Section, adds, "If the effectiveness of CPAP is scientifically proven, there will be compelling evidence to
aggressively treat sleep apnea -- even in mild cases."

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The Arizona Respiratory Center was designated the first Center of Excellence at the UA College of Medicine in 1971. Today, the internationally known Center combines the highest caliber of research, clinical care and teaching.
The Center is recognized as one of the top institutions for respiratory care.
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