The Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) inaugurated the first public sector sleep laboratory at its Ojha campus, where a specialised and experienced team of dedicated sleep professionals would provide the highest quality of care for the evaluation and treatment of people with sleep disorders. DUHS Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Masood Hameed Khan along with senior faculty members, including Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases Director Dr Iftikhar Ahmed, inaugurated the new sleep laboratory. The inauguration was followed by a seminar on the sleep apnoea syndrome. This is the first state-of-the-art sleep laboratory that would perform sleep studies for the diagnosis and management of sleep disorders through collaboration of neurologists, pulmonologists, ENT specialists, dental surgeons and psychiatrists. DUHS Vice Chancellor Khan said the new sleep laboratory would offer a variety of solutions to treat sleep disorders. He said the facility is aimed at providing reliable, high-quality diagnosis and management of sleep disorders of international standard to the people at extremely economical rates. All patients with sleep disorders would undergo evaluation that includes a detailed medical and sleep history, physical examination and other necessary investigation, he added.
Pulmonologist Dr Kaleem Ahmed said sleep apnoea is a syndrome generally characterised by sleep disturbances such as snoring, obstructed breathing during sleep, excessive day-time tiredness and fatigue. “It is a potentially life-threatening condition that is far more common than generally understood. It is associated with a number of diseases, including hypertension, cerebrovascular diseases and metabolic syndrome,” he said. It is also believed to be associated with high prevalence of psychiatric co-morbid conditions such as depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, psychosis and bipolar disorders; and it correlates with day-time sleepiness and traffic accidents involving drivers who fell asleep while driving, he added. He said research into the sleep apnoea syndrome, a relatively unexplored area, would help comprehend local relevance. It would also be a stepping stone that would facilitate prevention, diagnosis and early management of this disorder and help reduce the burden of major chronic illnesses in Pakistan, he added.