Heart Matters

Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease

PHILADELPHIA (February 27, 2004) - "Sleep Apnea and Cardiovascular Disease" will be the topic for the March 2004 Awake In Philly Community Education Group meeting, which begins at 6:30 p.m.

Dr. Mark Benjamin, a diplomate of the American Board of Sleep Medicine, will be the guest speaker at the Wednesday, March 10, 2004 Awake In Philly Community Education Group meeting. This meeting is being held in the Conference Room of the Northeast Regional Branch of the Free Library of Philadelphia, located at 2228 Cottman Avenue, Philadelphia.

Dr. Benjamin has been involved in sleep medicine for 27 years, and is a graduate of the Medical College of Wisconsin. He performed his internship and residency at the Washington Hospital Center, Washington, D.C., and had a fellowship in pulmonary disease at the George Washington University Hospital.

Currently, Dr. Benjamin, who has been in private practice in Northeast Philadelphia for 21 years, is also the medical director of the SleepCare Center in Northeast Philadelphia.

A Control 3 Home Care Kit, from Maril Products, will be given away at the meeting. Maril Products donated the Home Care Kit to Awake In Philly for giveaway at the meeting.

Be sure to bring your CPAP or BiPAP machines, as representatives from Blackwood Medical, Blackwood, New Jersey, will be available to perform pressure checks following the presentation.

Sleep disorders, which contribute to the national sleep debt, are more prevalent than most people believe. In fact, it's estimated that approximately one in every five people suffers from at least one sleep disorder. Sleep apnea, narcolepsy, periodic leg movements, and insomnia are just a few of the many sleep disorders that can, and do, rob us of the sleep we need.

The impact of sleep disorders, especially apnea, on a person's life may be many, and appear in many forms, but there are some telltale signs. While the impact is unique in each person, some of the most common areas include causing excessive daytime sleepiness, heart and lung damage, greater risk of stroke and high blood pressure, memory loss, the potential for greater involvement in traffic accidents because of tiredness, sexual dysfunction, mood swings, a decrease in productivity, weight gain, among others.

The Northeast Regional Library is conveniently located on several SEPTA bus routes, as well as being conveniently located near a SEPTA train station. For public transportation to the Northeast Regional Library, please call SEPTA at 215-580-7800 or visit the SEPTA website at http://www.septa.org.

The Northeast Regional Library is about one-half mile northwest of Cottman Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard, and may be contacted at 215-685-0501. Driving directions to the library may be accessed on the Awake In Philly site at http://www.AwakeInPhilly.org/Meetings/NERL.shtml.

Awake In Philly sponsors, in alphabetical order, include B.F. Ascher & Co., Inc.; the Free Library of Phila. (NE Regional Library); Maril Products, makers of Control III Disinfectant; and Respironics, Inc..

Awake In Philly meetings are designed to offer support to anyone who must deal with the impact of sleep disorders, including the patient, the spouse, a co-worker or supervisor, researchers, physicians, attorneys, among others. Everyone is encouraged to attend the meetings.

Contact Dave Jackson at:
PhillyAwake@scoop0901.net