ABSTRACT
High-level arsenic contamination of drinking water in West Bengal (WB), India is a grave public health concern, with 26 million people remaining affected. Two decades of research has provided detailed information on multiple aspects of exposure assessment and risk characterization. However, policy paralysis due to lack of finances and lack of any administrative coordination between the Central and State Governments has hampered the implementation of long-term solutions. Household- and community-level arsenic removal units have provided some relief to the suffering population. In view of the increased funding through the 12th Five-Year Plan period, it is the responsibility of the authorities to implement piped water supply schemes with single-point treatment facilities as the permanent solution to this three-decade-long crisis. Incorporating research evidence into policy and focusing on behavior change communication would be crucial to that end
ABSTRACT
Effects of sleep disorders on different physiological functions have been studied in depth. One such association is that of insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea with hypertension. This study intended to evaluate the relationship between sleep disorders and essential hypertension. In this institution based case-control study, the study population was selected by simple random sampling among all patients attending the outpatient department of Medicine. Patients with major risk factors for essential hypertension and other causes of secondary hypertension were excluded. Patient’s meeting the eligible criteria of blood pressure equal to or greater than 140/90 (mean of 3 readings) mm of Hg were included as cases and matched controls were selected from the rest. The eligible population of 216 people (92 cases, 124 controls) was assessed using the modified SLEEP-50 questionnaire and evaluated using an original “Sleep Scale”. Significant sleep disorder (Sleep Scale score >6), had a prevalence of 13.89%. The mean sleep scores were significantly higher (p = 0.0037) in cases than controls. The association between sleep disorder and essential hypertension was significant. (Odd’s Ratio=2.270, 95% Confidence Interval 0.970-5.364, p=0.047). Sleep disorders are an unconventional risk factor for essential hypertension. Further studies are needed to validate the present observations.