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Sleep Apnea * USA - Exams focus on truckers
Abilene,TX,USA -The Reporter News, by Jaime Adame -October 21, 2009: -- Kermith Johnson had checked “No.” . Like every trucker, he filled out his health history as part of his required biennial medical exam. ... Safety officials — citing crashes and incidents by plane, truck and rail related to sleep apnea — have announced an aggressive new stance in identifying sleep apnea that would affect not just commercial drivers, but also airplane pilots, ship operators and railroad conductors and engineers... Earlier this week, the National Transportation Safety Board called for a more in-depth screening process to identify commercial motor vehicle drivers at “high risk” for obstructive sleep apnea. Drivers would then have to show more evidence that they have been evaluated for sleep apnea, and, if diagnosed, that they are receiving treatment... Most likely, age and weight would be considered, although the agency that regulates commercial driving, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, would ultimately be in charge of any changes to the licensing process for truckers and bus drivers... A study this year found that those factors are good indicators of whether or not a driver has sleep apnea — and that 12 to 17 percent of drivers have “significant” obstructive sleep apnea... The study also laid out potential problems with the current medical exam system, finding that drivers underreport sleep disorder systems... And if changes to the system are made, consideration must be given to “breaking down cost and access barriers” to drivers seeking evaluation and treatment, concluded the study in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine... (Photo from sleep-apnea.biz: treatment.jpg)
Labels: sleep apnea
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