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Key takeaways for Yuma County residents.

• Understand the link between sleep apnea and heart disease.
• Learn why early detection is important.
• Follow expert recommendations to improve your health.

**Why this matters to you:** Early management of sleep apnea may reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease and improve your overall health and well-being.

This article Select your county here.

a Recent Research The findings add to the evidence that there is a definite link between sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease. However, the findings highlight an issue that many young people tend to ignore: they believe sleep apnea doesn't affect them. The findings are critical for the residents of Yuma County, Arizona, because they continue to highlight the heart health benefits of early detection and treatment of sleep apnea.

Next steps: of STOP-Bang Survey It's a tool you can use to further your conversations with your healthcare team about sleep.Resources here)

Prevalence is a simple way to compare how common a health condition is between two different groups. For example, if you are looking at how many people have sleep apnea in one group compared to another, prevalence will tell you whether one group has a higher or lower percentage of people with sleep apnea compared to the other group. It is a way to see if a condition is more or less common between different groups.

Here are five key takeaways from research into sleep apnea and cardiovascular health.

1. Youth at risk: Surprisingly, younger adults (ages 20-40) who have sleep apnea are at significantly higher risk of heart disease, calling into question the commonly held belief that sleep apnea only affects cardiac health in older adults.
2. High Blood Pressure Links: Young adults suspected of having sleep apnea are 45% more likely to have high blood pressure than young adults without sleep apnea, highlighting the importance of early detection and treatment.
3. Association with metabolic syndrome: Sleep apnea increases young adults' risk of metabolic syndrome by 25%. Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
4. Serious impacts on heart health: Young adults with sleep apnea are 10 times more likely to experience angina (chest pain caused by reduced blood flow to the heart) than those without sleep apnea.
5. Overall cardiovascular risk: Research has found that young adults with sleep apnea are more than three times more likely to develop any type of cardiovascular disease than their peers without sleep apnea.

These findings highlight the crucial importance of early screening and treatment of sleep apnea, even in younger people, to prevent long-term cardiovascular disease.

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Yuma County Alert: Sleep apnea is linked to five common health conditions affecting county residents.

1. Liver problems: Research has found a link between sleep apnea and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), which ranges from simple fatty liver to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a more severe condition involving inflammation and damage to the liver.
2. Complications during pregnancy: Pregnant women with sleep apnea may be at increased risk of gestational diabetes, preeclampsia (high blood pressure and elevated protein in the urine during pregnancy), and premature birth.
3. Cognitive impairment: Untreated sleep apnea can lead to problems with memory, concentration, and overall cognitive function. These problems can affect your daily activities and quality of life.
4. Mental disorders: Sleep apnea is often associated with mood disorders such as depression and anxiety, and the disruption of sleep and lack of oxygen caused by sleep apnea can have a negative impact on mental health.
5. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): Pressure changes in the chest during sleep apnea episodes can encourage acid to reflux, worsening GERD symptoms like heartburn and reflux.

Key Health and Medical Statistics for Yuma County, Arizona

Did you know that there were 14,550 deaths from Heart disease In Arizona in 2021?

31.6% Yuma County residents Have had a cholesterol test in the past 5 years.

13% Yuma County residents He was diagnosed with diabetes.

36.6% Yuma County residents Sleeping less than seven hours a night.

82.9% Yuma County residents Have had a cholesterol test in the past 3 years.

Important Health Facts: The above health data directly impacts your physical health and is crucial in determining your overall health status.

Health Standards Newswire.