Aspectos en la responsabilidad legal y laboral en el síndrome de apnea-hipopnea obstructiva del sueño (SAHOS)

La apnea del sueño y la somnolencia diurna excesiva (SDE) constituyen un gran riesgo para el desarrollo de actividades laborales, en especial las que se pueden considerar peligrosas y que implican responsabilidad legal; entre estas se encuentra la conducción de vehículos de transporte público, de carga y de maquinaria pesada.El trabajar por turnos y privarse de horas de sueño es también causa del aumento de accidentes laborales; este riesgo aumenta cuando los trabajadores y sus familiares no comprenden la dimensión real de este tipo de vida laboral y, por tanto, no actúan con responsabilidad respecto a su salud. Algunos autores consideran que la apnea del sueño y la SDE constituyen problemas de salud pública debido a su elevada prevalencia y a los altos costos que origina. Es importante que el Estado colombiano reglamente, por un lado, los aspectos de responsabilidad legal de los pacientes que desempeñan tareas riesgosas y están afectados por esta enfermedad y síntoma específico y, por el otro, las condiciones ocupacionales de los trabajadores que en la actualidad laboran por turnos y ven su salud afectada.Sleep apnea and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) represent a major risk when developing working activities, especially those that are considered dangerous and involve legal responsibility, including handling public transport vehicles, cargo and heavy machinery.Shift work and sleep deprivation are also causes of increased work-related accidents; this risk increases when workers and their families do not understand the real dimension of this type of work life and, therefore, are not responsible for their health. Some authors think that sleep apnea and EDS are public health issues due to their high prevalence and economic burden. It is important that the Colombian State regulates, on the one hand, aspects of legal responsibility of patients who carry out hazardous tasks and are affected by this disease and specific symptoms and, on the other hand, the occupational conditions of the workers who work shifts and whose health is affected

Psicoeducación en el síndrome de apnea-hipopnea obstructiva del sueño (SAHOS)

La psicoeducación es una alternativa complementaria a los tratamientos usuales para el paciente con apnea del sueño que permite que quien la padece aprenda a conocer su enfermedad. Se practica en el campo de la salud mental y posibilita que los pacientes afectados identifiquen su entidad nosológica y cooperen de forma participativa y activa en el tratamiento instaurado.Para tratar a los pacientes con apnea del sueño, es importante que ellos conozcan las características de la enfermedad y el tratamiento, pues esto les permite desarrollar conciencia de la enfermedad, con la que pueden alcanzar una mayor adherencia a los tratamientos. Existen varios tipos de terapia: la terapia individual, que se caracteriza por ser una ayuda que brinda el profesional de la salud mental al paciente; la terapia de pareja y la terapia familiar, que ofrecen ayuda psicológica para el manejo de la apnea del sueño y sus efectos secundarios, y la terapia de grupo, para educar en torno a la entidad y su tratamiento mediante el intercambio de experiencias positivas frente al grupo. A su vez, está la intervención de campo en el trabajo y las técnicas de desensibilización progresiva y relajación para mejorar la adherencia al uso de la terapia de presión positiva en la vía aérea (PAP).Psychoeducation is a complementary alternative to the usual treatments for patients with sleep apnea, which allows them to learn to know their disease. It is related to the field of mental health and allows the affected patients to identify their nosological entity and to cooperate in a participatory and active way in the established treatment.In order to treat sleep apnea, that patients know the characteristics of the disease and the treatment is important since they become aware of it, thus achieving greater adherence to the treatments. There are several types of therapy: individual therapy, which is characterized as support provided by mental health professionals to the patient; couple and family therapy, which offer psychological help for the management of sleep apnea and its side effects, and group therapy, which educates about the entity and its treatment by sharing positive experiences with the group. Field intervention at work and progressive desensitization and relaxation techniques are also used to improve the adhesion to positive pressure in the airway (PAP) therapy

Recommendations from the Asociación Colombiana de Medicina del Sueño for the practice of sleep medicine in Colombia during the COVID-19 pandemic

El lavado de manos frecuente, el uso obligatorio de mascarilla por parte de la población general en sitios públicos, el distanciamiento físico y social, y el confinamiento obligatorio de la mayoría de la población en sus casas son las medidas que hasta el momento han ayudado a frenar la propagación del nuevo coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), causante de la actual pandemia por COVID-19. Sin embargo, la adopción de algunas de estas medidas ha generado retraso en el diagnóstico y tratamiento de diferentes enfermedades, incluyendo los trastornos del sueño, por lo que es urgente que los especialistas en medicina del sueño y los centros de sueño retomen sus actividades gradualmente, siempre que se implementen estrictos protocolos de bioseguridad que mitiguen el riesgo de contagio. En este contexto, y con el fin de ayudar a los somnólogos a reabrir los centros de sueño y reanudar los procedimientos allí realizados, la Asociación Colombiana de Medicina del Sueño propone en la presente reflexión una serie de recomendaciones para tener en cuenta durante el proceso de reactivación. Estas recomendaciones se basan en las estrategias de mitigación establecidas por las autoridades sanitarias del país, las directrices de la American Academy of Sleep Medicine, y la literatura disponible sobre el tema, la cual fue revisada luego de realizar una búsqueda en las bases de datos PubMed, SciELO y Google Scholar usando los términos “sleep” “sleep medicine” y “COVID-19”.Measures such as frequent handwashing, mandatory use of face masks by the general population in public spaces, social and physical distancing, and mandatory confinement of most people at their homes have contributed to slowing down the spread of the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), which is the source of the current COVID-19 pandemic. However, adopting some of these measures has caused delays in the diagnosis and treatment of various diseases, including sleep disorders. There-fore, it is urgent for sleep specialists and sleep centers to gradually resume activities, as long as strict biosecurity protocols aimed at reducing the risk of contagion are implemented. In this scenario, and in order to help somnologists reopen sleep centers and resume the proce-dures performed there, the Asociación Colombiana de Medicina del Sueño (Colombian Association of Sleep Medicine) proposes through this reflection paper several recommendations that should be considered during the reactivation process. These recommendations are based on the COVID-19 spread mitigation strategies established by the Colombian health authorities, the guidelines issued by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and relevant literature on this subject, which was re-viewed after performing a search in the PubMed, SciELO, and Google Scholar databases using the search terms “sleep” “sleep medicine” and “COVID-19

RECOMENDACIONES DE LA ASOCIACION COLOMBIANA DE MEDICINA DE SUEÑO PARA EL EJERCICIO DE LA MEDICINA DEL SUEÑO EN COLOMBIA DURANTE LA CONTINGENCIA PANDEMIA COVID-19.

The Asociación Colombiana de Medicina del Sueño (ACMES) in order to help somnologists evaluate the sleep unit and the procedures carried out on it in response to the outbreak of COVID-19 issues this guide. This is based on the mitigation strategies recommended by the country's health authorities and the bibliographic review of the available medical evidence and current AASM recommendations. Colombia is in the phase of sustained transmission of COVID-19 and frequent hand-washing measures, the use of a mask by the general population in public places, physical distancing and home confinement, supported by local sanitary norms, have helped to stop the spread of the virus. However, the economic crisis associated with this outbreak makes it urgent that the country returns little by little with the implementation of the necessary biosecurity measures to a relative normality. In this current context of the pandemic in Colombia, ACMES has designed this guide so that somnologists and local sleep units have a minimum orientation in their practice during this outbreak and once the public health measures to lower the speed of contagion have been overcome gradually reopen the economy and contain the speed of spread to get back to normal if possible.La Asociación Colombiana de Medicina del Sueño (ACMES) con el fin de ayudar a los somnólogos a evaluar la unidad de sueño y los procedimientos que se llevan a cabo en la misma en respuesta al brote del COVID-19 emite la presente guía. Esta se fundamenta en las estrategias de mitigación recomendadas por las autoridades sanitarias del país y de la revisión bibliográfica de la evidencia médica disponible y recomendaciones actuales AASM.  Colombia se encuentra en la fase de transmisión sostenida del COVID-19 y las medidas de lavado de manos frecuente, de uso de mascarilla por la población general en sitios públicos, de distanciamiento físico y confinamiento en los hogares, respaldada por normas sanitarias locales han ayudado a frenar la propagación del virus. Sin embargo, la crisis económica asociada a este brote hace urgente que el país retorne poco a poco con la implementación de las medidas de bioseguridad necesaria a una relativa normalidad. En este contexto actual de la pandemia en Colombia la ACMES ha diseñado esta guía para que los somnólogos y las unidades de sueño locales tengan una orientación mínima en su práctica durante este brote y una vez superadas las medidas de salud pública para bajar la velocidad del contagio del virus, reabrir poco a poco la economía y contener la velocidad de la propagación para volver a la normalidad en lo posible

Psychiatric implications of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS)

Sleep apnea is a syndrome that affects multiple systems and produces varied symptoms. This article reviews the most frequent psychiatric illnesses associated with this condition, as well as the need for an adequate diagnosis and an interdisciplinary treatment. The most common entity observed in patients with sleep apnea is depression, probably caused by sleep fragmentation, which alters the production of neurotransmitters in the brain. Anxiety is the second most common entity, perhaps, due to the release of catecholamines at night. Other symptoms associated with sleep apnea can be found, and should be reviewed and improved with appropriate treatment; addressing such symptoms could also improve the quality of life of patients, since attention, concentration and memory would increase or decrease irritability and other symptoms

Repercusiones psiquiátricas del síndrome de apnea-hipopnea obstructiva del sueño (SAHOS)

La apnea del sueño es un síndrome que afecta múltiples sistemas y produce variados síntomas. En el presente artículo se revisan las enfermedades psiquiátricas más frecuentes asociadas a este y la necesidad de realizar un diagnóstico adecuado y un tratamiento interdisciplinario. La entidad que más se ha podido encontrar en los pacientes con apnea del sueño es la depresión y se piensa que se debe a la fragmentación del sueño, la cual altera la producción de neurotransmisores a nivel cerebral. La ansiedad es la segunda entidad con mayor frecuencia, quizás debido a la liberación de catecolaminas durante la noche. Existen otras sintomatologías asociadas a la apnea del sueño que deben ser revisadas y que mejorarían con un tratamiento adecuado, así como también mejoraría la calidad de vida de los pacientes, pues la atención, la concentración y la memoria incrementarían o disminuirían la irritabilidad y otros síntomas.Sleep apnea is a syndrome that affects multiple systems and produces varied symptoms. This article reviews the most frequent psychiatric illnesses associated with this condition, as well as the need for an adequate diagnosis and an interdisciplinary treatment. The most common entity observed in patients with sleep apnea is depression, probably caused by sleep fragmentation, which alters the production of neurotransmitters in the brain. Anxiety is the second most common entity, perhaps, due to the release of catecholamines at night. Other symptoms associated with sleep apnea can be found, and should be reviewed and improved with appropriate treatment; addressing such symptoms could also improve the quality of life of patients, since attention, concentration and memory would increase or decrease irritability and other symptoms

Psychoeducation in obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS)

Psychoeducation is a complementary alternative to the usual treatments for patients with sleep apnea, which allows them to learn to know their disease. It is related to the field of mental health and allows the affected patients to identify their nosological entity and to cooperate in a participatory and active way in the established treatment. In order to treat sleep apnea, that patients know the characteristics of the disease and the treatment is important since they become aware of it, thus achieving greater adherence to the treatments. There are several types of therapy: individual therapy, which is characterized as support provided by mental health professionals to the patient; couple and family therapy, which offer psychological help for the management of sleep apnea and its side effects, and group therapy, which educates about the entity and its treatment by sharing positive experiences with the group. Field intervention at work and progressive desensitization and relaxation techniques are also used to improve the adhesion to positive pressure in the airway (PAP) therapy

Legal and labor responsibility aspects related to obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS)

Sleep apnea and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) represent a major risk when developing working activities, especially those that are considered dangerous and involve legal responsibility, including handling public transport vehicles, cargo and heavy machinery. Shift work and sleep deprivation are also causes of increased work-related accidents; this risk increases when workers and their families do not understand the real dimension of this type of work life and, therefore, are not responsible for their health. Some authors think that sleep apnea and EDS are public health issues due to their high prevalence and economic burden. It is important that the Colombian State regulates, on the one hand, aspects of legal responsibility of patients who carry out hazardous tasks and are affected by this disease and specific symptoms and, on the other hand, the occupational conditions of the workers who work shifts and whose health is affected

Utilización de medicamentos antidepresivos en población adolescente de Colombia: un estudio tipo prescripción-indicación

Objective: To determine the indications for the use of antidepressants by adolescents (14-19 years old) in Colombia. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study using data on adolescent patients of both sexes who were receiving antidepressants in January 2015-June 2016. Medical records were reviewed to assess sociodemographic, pharmacological, and clinical variables including diagnosis, indication (approved or not) and co-medications. Multivariate analyses were performed. Results: A total of 350 adolescents treated with antidepressants were evaluated, with a mean age of 16.3±1.4 years and a slight predominance of females (59.7%). Most antidepressants were prescribed by general practitioners (n=258; 73.7%). The most commonly used antidepressants were fluoxetine (n=130; 37.1%), sertraline (n=56; 16.0%), and trazodone (n=47; 13.4%). The main indications for use were depression (n = 92; 26.3%), anxiety (n=53; 15.1%), migraine (n=48; 13.7%), abuse of psychoactive substances (n=34; 9.7%), and insomnia (n=20; 5.7%). Only 150 (42.9%) prescriptions were in conformity with approval by regulatory agencies. Multivariate analysis of unapproved prescription indications showed that suffering from depression (or: 0.004; 95% ci: 0.001-0.018), anxiety (or: 0.028; 95% ci: 0.010-0.076), or bipolar affective disorder (or: 0.071; ic95 %: 0.011-0.461) was associated with a lower likelihood that drug use was unapproved. Discussion: The prescribing of antidepressant drugs to adolescent Colombian patients is being practised most frequently with fluoxetine, sertraline, and trazodone, mainly for unapproved indications. There are no guidelines in Colombia for clinical practice, including the use of these drugs by the adolescent population.Introdução: determinar as indicações de uso de antidepressivos em adolescentes (14-19 anos) da Colômbia. Materiais e métodos: estudo de corte transversal onde incluíram-se dados de pacientes adolescentes, de qualquer sexo, que estivessem recebendo algum antidepressivo entre janeiro de 2015 e junho de 2016. Se revisaram as histórias clínicas avaliando variáveis sociodemográficas, farmacológicas, clínicas, incluindo o diagnóstico, indicação aprovada ou não e co-medicações. Se realizaram análises multivariadas. Resultados: avaliaram-se 350 adolscentes tratados com antidepressivos, com idade média de 16,3 ± 1,4 anos, ligeiro predomínio feminino com 209 pacientes (59,7%). A maioria de prescrições foram realizadas por médico geral (n=258; 73,7%). Os antidpressivos mais utilizados foram uoxetina (n=130; 37,1%), sertralina (n=56; 16,0%) e trazodona (n=47; 13,4%). As principais indicações de uso foram depressão (n=92; 26,3%), ansiedade (n=53; 15,1%), enxaqueca (n=48; 13,7%), controle de abuso de consumo de sustâncias psicoativas (n=34; 9,7%), e insónia (n=20; 5,7%). Só 150 (42,9%) prescrições se realizaram segundo aprovação por parte de agências reguladoras. A análise multivariada da prescrição em indicações não aprovadas mostrou que ter depressão (or: 0,004; ic95%:0,001-0,018), ansiedade (or: 0,028; ic95%:0,010- 0,076) ou transtorno afetivo bipolar (or: 0,071; ic95%:0,011-0,461) se associaram com menor probabilidade de que o seu uso estivesse por fora do aprovado. Discussão: a prescrição de fárma- cos antidepressivos em pacientes adolescentes colombianos está-se fazendo especialmente com fluoxetina, sertralina e trazodona, principalmente para indicações não aprovadas. Não há uma guia de prática clínica no país para o uso destes medicamentos na população adolescente.Objetivo: determinar las indicaciones de uso de antidepresivos en adolescentes (14-19 años) de Colombia. Materiales y métodos: estudio de corte transversal donde se incluyeron datos de pacientes adolescentes, de cualquier sexo, que estuvieran recibiendo algún antidepresivo entre enero de 2015 y junio de 2016. Se revisaron las historias clínicas en las que se evaluaron variables sociodemográ cas, farmacológicas, clínicas, incluidos el diagnóstico, la indicación aprobada o no y las comedicaciones. Se realizaron análisis multivariados. Resultados: se evaluaron 350 adolescentes tratados con antidepresivos, con edad media de 16,3 ± 1,4 años, ligero predominio femenino, con 209 pacientes (59,7%). La mayoría de prescripciones fueron realizadas por médico general (n=258; 73,7%). Los antidepresivos más utilizados fueron uoxetina (n=130; 37,1%), sertralina (n=56; 16,0%) y trazodona (n=47; 13,4%). Las principales indicaciones de uso fueron depresión (n=92; 26,3%), ansiedad (n=53; 15,1%), migraña (n=48; 13,7%), control de abuso de consumo de sustancias psicoactivas (n=34; 9,7%) e insomnio (n=20; 5,7%). Solo 150 (42,9%) prescripciones se realizaron según aprobación por parte de agencias reguladoras. El análisis multivariado de la prescripción en indicaciones no aprobadas mostró que tener depresión (or: 0,004; ic95%: ,001-0,018), ansiedad (or: 0,028; ic95%: 0,010-0,076) o trastorno afectivo bipolar (or: 0,071; ic95%:0,011-0,461) estaban asociadas a una menor probabilidad de uso por fuera del aprobado. Discusión: la prescripción de los fármacos antidepresivos en pacientes adolescentes colombianos se está haciendo en especial con fluoxetina, sertralina y trazodona, principalmente para indicaciones no aprobadas. No hay una guía de práctica clínica en el país para el uso de estos medicamentos en la población adolescente