The long-term research goal of this Career Development Award is to develop a predictor of sleep apnea based on a combination of family history score and 3-dimensional cone-beam Computer Tomography (CT) morphological variables. In the course of this matched case-control research study, we will collect these variables from 30 confirmed severe sleep apnea patients and 30 gender, age and Body Mass Index matched controls. The confounders in this study are race, ethnicity and hypertension. The goal is to identify which combination of the CT and family history variables are risk factors for sleep apnea in a population of severe sleep apnea (RDI>30). This is the first step to our long-term goal of being able to identify patients at risk for incipient and mild-moderate sleep apnea from a younger population who are being referred for a cone-beam CT during the course of their dental or medical treatment. To the imaging data we can easily add a personal and family history questionnaire on snoring and OSA. If we are successful at identifying early as being at risk for sleep apnea, behavioral changes and/or minor surgery can change the development of the disease, avoiding congestive heart failure and other heart diseases such as pulmonary hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, ischemic heart disease and stroke. With 2-4% of the middle-aged population in North America affected by Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), sleep apnea is more prevalent among the obese, in males, and in older individuals. With obesity increasing dramatically in the USA, this is a timely research area. According to the National Sleep Foundation 28% of men and 24% of women over the age of 65 have sleep apnea. It is estimated that, in the U.S. alone, $70 billion is lost in decreased productivity, lost wages, and property damage due to snoring and sleep disorders. ? ? The Career Development Plan includes two years of enrollment in the """"""""Masters of clinical and ? biomedical investigations"""""""" under the research direction of Dr. Azen, Professor and Co-Director of ? Biostatistics in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the University of Southern California (USC), with the 3rd and 4th years focusing on collecting and analyzing the data under the research direction of Dr. Clark, Professor and Director of the Orofacial Pain/Oral Medicine Graduate Clinic at USC and expert on sleep disturbance and temporomandibular joint disorders. The 5th year's focus will be on report and grant writing. ? ?
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