Medicine»
Saudi Education - follow-ups: The Sleep Research Center at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah is looking forward to the approval of the “Master of Sleep Medicine” program from the Saudi Commission for Medical Specialties after obtaining the university’s approval in April 2017. The director of the center, Professor Siraj Omar Wali, revealed to “Okaz” that the most prominent diseases Insomnia, excessive sleepiness, and snoring topped among the diagnoses among Saudis, indicating that what distinguishes the center is its presence in the university hospital, which allows the treating physician to use all available human and diagnostic resources to ensure that the patient receives comprehensive care and the highest quality. Dr. Wali added that 2,500 individuals have been diagnosed since the center’s opening in May 2011, and the center has become able to diagnose and treat sleep disorders in their various forms while striving to develop sleep medicine regionally by conducting influential research and training emerging cadres. As for the results of the research, he revealed that samples of about 40% of middle-aged individuals suffer from chronic snoring, and the percentage of men is twice as high as that of women, and this is related to advanced age, high blood pressure, chronic smoking, and sleep apnea. While the incidence of sleep apnea syndrome was 8.5% among the sample, the rate was 12% for men, compared to 5% for women, and the disorders are associated with other factors such as high blood pressure, weight gain and aging.
Dr. Wali added that a preliminary study revealed that the risk of developing sleep apnea in patients with renal failure reached 44% of the sample (355 patients), and a study on a sample of coronary artery patients indicated that 56% of them had sleep apnea, as for the leg syndrome. (Restless legs) A medical survey on a sample (2,600 people) showed 8.4% of the syndrome and its association with snoring symptoms and kidney failure. Wali concluded by saying that in 2016 the center obtained an academic accreditation certificate of "higher diploma" for training physicians in the field of sleep medicine from the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties, and in 2017 it received recognition for training technicians in a "Diploma in Sleep Medicine Technology", according to Okaz newspaper.
