Sleep Apnea Cases Rise Dramatically

Active-duty cases of obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that causes people to stop breathing as they sleep, have increased nearly 600 percent since 2000, with the biggest jumps coming after the start of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Data from the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center show that 3,563 active-duty members had the disease in 2000, while 20,435 were diagnosed in 2009. The majority of those cases were diagnosed in Servicemembers older than 40, but rates went up for all age groups. To read this article in its entirety, please go to: http://www.armytimes.com/news/2010/06/military_sleepapnea_060710w/