Sleep apnea tied to nighttime urination in men

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Frequent urination during night, a condition doctors call nocturia, appears to be fairly common among men with obstructive sleep apnea, Japanese researchers report.

Obstructive sleep apnea is a common problem in which soft tissues in the back of throat temporarily collapse during sleep causing brief moments in which the patient stops breathing. The disorder, which can cause daytime sleepiness, may be effectively treated with a breathing device that pushes air into the throat to prevent the tissues from collapsing.

Dr. Yoji Moriyama of Gifu University School of Medicine and colleagues assessed the occurrence of nocturia and other urinary symptoms in 73 men with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Nocturia was defined as needing to void two or more times each night.

Patients were classified according to the frequency of night-time urination and age: younger than 50 or 50 years and older.

The researchers' findings are published in the journal Urology.

Nocturia was present in 30 patients (41 percent). The risk of nocturia was directly related to the severity of sleep apnea and the association was particularly strong in patients younger than 50 years of age. Other voiding symptoms were not associated with nocturia in these patients.

SOURCE: Urology, June 2008.