While sleep disorders plague many Americans, police officers may fare worse than others, according to a new Brigham and Women’s Hospital study that found 40 percent have a chronic sleep problem, which in most cases had not been diagnosed.
The national study published yesterday found that 26 percent of the officers reported that they fall asleep driving at least once a month because of excessive drowsiness.
Massachusettts State Police officers, however, had markedly lower rates of sleep problems such as obstructive sleep apnea, insomnia, and shift work sleepiness -- most likely, the researchers said, because of a mandatory fitness test that state officers must pass every two years to hold onto their jobs.
Not getting enough ZZZs takes a physical and mental toll. As is common for workers that often put in long hours with overnight or rotating shifts, this was a weary bunch: Excessive fatigue was reported by nearly 29% of the officers.
And when people get tired on the job, they tend to lose focus and make mistakes. Researchers found that police officers who had a sleep disorder reported making more administrative errors and safety violations. Fatigue also shortened their tempers, and they admitted to showing more uncontrolled anger toward a citizen or suspect.
Skimping on sleep also led to more drowsy driving, which may be as dangerous as drunk driving. Nearly half of the participants in this study admitted to falling asleep behind the wheel. For about one-quarter of them, this happened once or twice a month.
The findings also suggest that depression and burnout were more common in police officers who had a sleep disorder than in those who did not.
Robbed of shut-eye, a police officer's on-the-job exhaustion or untreated sleep condition is an occupational hazard. Because these men and women often carry guns and need to think quickly in difficult situations, these stolen hours of slumber can influence their work performance, health, and the public safety, the researchers say.
It is thought between 40,000 and 50,000 British women have been given faulty implants which French experts say should be removed.
The PIP implants have been linked to a small number of cancers in France but tests here have shown no link between the material used and cancer.
The implants are filled with an unapproved gel and there have been reports that the protective barriers are faulty.
Women have been advised to have their implants checked and if they are worried they should consider having them removed.
The implants have burst causing complications and dozens of women have launched a group action against the clinics where they had surgery.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said that it had consulted with experts in nine countries over safety concerns surrounding the French-made implants.
But it said all had agreed that there was nothing to show that there was nothing to show that there is a heightened risk of the disease with the implants that were filled with a silicone gel believed to have been made for mattresses.
MHRA officials have spoken to health or regulatory experts from France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Italy, Ireland, Hungary, Austria, Denmark and Malta.
A spokesman from the Department of Health said: “They all agreed that there was no evidence of any increase in incidents of cancer associated with PIP breast implants and no evidence of any disproportionate rupture rates. This is in line with UK findings.’
New figures from the MHRA published last night suggest 84,300 of the implants, manufactured by PIP, have been sold in the UK since 2001.
Based on the assumption that each woman has two implants, an estimated 42,000 women in the UK could be affected, according to the MHRA.
But the figure could be higher because women undergoing breast reconstructive surgery following cancer may only have had one implant.
Data from the MHRA shows it has received 411 reports of PIP implants failing in British patients since 2001.
This would suggest around one per cent of women in the UK with PIP breast implants have suffered implant failure, including rupture, compared to a claimed failure rate of five per cent in France.
If you're a woman who smokes and you are looking for another reason to quit, consider this: A new study has found a link between tobacco use and skin cancer.
The study found that women who had squamous cell skin cancer were more likely to have smoked than those who were free from the disease. And those who smoked at least 20 years were twice as likely to develop squamous cell skin cancer, a less aggressive form of skin cancer than melanoma.
Men who smoked had a modest risk for the two types of non-melanoma skin cancer -- basal cell and squamous cell cancer -- but the results weren't statistically significant, the study authors noted.
"We don't know why," said study lead author Dana Rollison, referring to the difference between women's and men's risk. Both men and women get a lot of exposure to the sun, the main risk factor for skin cancer, she noted.
But lung cancer research may offer a clue, said Rollison, an associate member in the Moffitt Cancer Center department of cancer epidemiology, in Tampa, Fla. Hormonal differences affecting the metabolization of nicotine and the body's ability to repair damage to lung DNA caused by smoking have been noted before, suggesting that the female hormone estrogen may play a role, she said.
Smoking was linked to skin cancer in women, as the study indicated that women who suffered from squamous cell skin cancer were more likely to have smoked, when compared against women who did not have the disease. In addition, women who have been smoking for at least 20 years were found to be twice as likely to develop squamous cell skin cancer.
The study involved an analysis of data from 383 patients suffering from skin cancer, which were compared against those of 315 study participants who did not have the disease. The participants answered questions regarding how much they smoked, when their smoking habit began, and how long they have been smoking.
The results of the analysis showed that the more people smoked, the likelihood that they will develop skin cancer also increases.
The study authors also noted that men smokers had a modest risk for two types of non-melanoma skin cancer (basal cell and squamous cell skin cancer), although the results were not statistically significant. Dana Rollison, lead author of the study, shared that while both men and women get a lot of sun exposure, the main risk factor for skin cancer, they do not know why there was a difference between the risk of developing the disease among men and women.
The study was published online in the journal Cancer Causes Control.
Louisiana state health officials are warning patients about potential dangers of using tap water in the sinus-irrigating neti pot after two patients died of Naegleria fowleri infection.
N. fowleri is known as a "brain-eating" amoeba because it can enter a patient's nose, infect the brain, and cause primary amebic meningoencephalitis (PAM), a brain-tissue destroying condition.
The first Louisiana patient died of neti pot-induced infection in June. An additional two patients died of N. fowleri infection in August after swimming in warm, fresh water.
The amoeba usually infects patients that submerge their heads in freshwater lakes and rivers, though it can be transmitted through inadequately chlorinated pool water or underheated (less than 116°F) tap water that enters a patient's nose, a statement from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals said.
Patients that irrigate their noses with a neti pot should use distilled, sterile, or previously boiled water, Raoult Ratard, MD, a Louisiana state epidemiologist, said in the statement. He noted that tap water was safe to drink, but may not be safe for nasal cleansing.
Symptoms of PAM include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, and stiff neck, and may take one to seven days to start. Later symptoms include confusion, lack of attention to environment, loss of balance, seizures, hallucinations, and, in one to 12 days after infection, death. The disease progresses rapidly and symptoms may resemble bacterial meningitis, the statement warned.
The difficulty is that Naegleria is exceedingly rare," said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "It's difficult to diagnose, and once it's diagnosed, it's also difficult to treat."
Most Naegleria fowleri infections result from diving into warm, stagnant water. There were four deaths linked to the parasite last summer, including one in Louisiana.
"I had not heard of Naegleria being associated with Neti pot use, but it's perfectly biologically plausible, because tap water is not sterile," said Schaffner. "And when you inhale it directly into the sinuses, it's similar to a deep dive into brackish water."
Drinking tap water cannot cause a Naegleria fowleri infection.
The Neti pot is an ancient nasal irrigation system that looks like a gravy boat. When used properly, it can help relieve congestion associated with the common cold, the flu and allergies.
"Particularly in the winter, a lot of people get chronic sinusitis and the Neti pot offers a way for the sinuses to drain," said Schaffner. "Some patients seem to benefit; other don't."
Neti pot popularity has grown in recent years, thanks to celebrity backers like Oprah and Dr. Oz. But a 2009 study presented at the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology's annual meeting suggests that Neti pot overuse could increase the risk of sinus infections.
"There's a degree of controversy about whether it should be recommended generally," said Schaffner. "It's one of those treatments that sort of grew up rather than coming to us through rigorous, evidence-based trials. But there are many people out there who swear by it."
The warning from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals highlights the risks of improper Neti pot use. But when used and cleaned properly, the Neti pot is safe, Schaffner said
"Use sterile, boiled and cooled or distilled water; rinse [the Neti pot] out thoroughly after use; and air-dry it," he said, adding that water left in the Neti pot after use could become a breeding ground for bacteria and parasites that feed on mucus. "You don't have to send it to an autoclave, but it does require some attention to detail.
