The role of habitual snoring and obesity in the development of diabetes: a 10-year follow-up study in a male population.

OBJECTIVES: There are many similarities between diabetes (mainly type 2) and sleep breathing disturbances regarding risk factors, anthropometric criteria and consequences of morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the association between habitual snoring and diabetes is entirely dependent on obesity. DESIGN: A population-based prospective study. SETTING: The municipality of Uppsala, Sweden. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In 1984 and in 1994, 2668 men aged 30-69 years at baseline answered questionnaires concerning sleep breathing disturbances and somatic diseases. RESULTS: Of those with habitual snoring in 1984, 5.4% reported that they had developed diabetes during the 10-year period compared with 2.4% of those without habitual snoring (P < 0.001). Amongst obese snorers, 13.5% developed diabetes compared with 8.6% of obese non-snorers (P = 0.17). In a multiple logistic regression model, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for development of diabetes was higher in obese snorers [7.0 (2.9-16.9)] than in obese non-snorers [5.1 (2.7-9.5)] after adjustment for age, weight gain, smoking, alcohol dependence and physical inactivity. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that, in males aged 30-69 years, habitual snoring is associated with an increased incidence of diabetes within 10 years. Although obesity is the main risk factor for developing diabetes, coexistent habitual snoring may add to this hazard.

Treatment of lower respiratory tract infections with sultamicillin.

Oral tablets containing 375 mg sultamicillin were used to treat 30 adult patients of either sex suffering from lower respiratory tract infections. The dose used was one tablet every 12 h for 22 cases and one tablet every 8 h for eight cases. The duration of therapy varied between 5 and 14 days (mean 8.6 days). The therapeutic response was rated as cure in 23 (76.6%) patients, with complete disappearance of pretreatment signs and symptoms, and as improvement in seven (23.3%) patients, with amelioration of the pretreatment manifestations. All 52 microorganisms isolated before treatment were eradicated. No adverse effects were reported in 25 (83.3%) patients, whereas the remaining five (16.7%) patients reported mild loose stools with normal bowel motion. There were no abnormal changes in blood count and liver and renal functions following sultamicillin treatment.