Briefs

WASHINGTON - The American Sleep Apnea Association seeks patients and their families to lobby members of Congress for additional funding for the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The association wants the CDC to add questions on sleep apnea to its health surveys. "Having this information would help get a better idea of the magnitude of the problem of sleep apnea in the United States and, hopefully, Congress deploying some resources to solve it," the association stated in a press release. To learn more or to get involved, visit www.capwiz.com/sleepapnea. New resources for infusion providers ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The National Home Infusion Association launched its new Reimbursement Resource Center for NHIA members. The site offers access to up-to-date information on policy and coverage information as well as legal and payer requirements. "We expect management and reimbursement specialists to come back to this center time and time again," said NHIA's Director of Health Information Policy Bruce Rodman in a statement. Increased weight, increased asthma DENVER - For overweight and obese people, the incidence of asthma increases by 50%, as compared to those of normal weight, according to an analysis of seven studies on severe asthma involving 333,102 patients. The results appear in the April issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, published by the American Thoracic Society. E. Rand Sutherland, M.D., M.P.H., of the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver said that the number of new asthma cases could fall 250,000 a year if people lost weight. Misconceptions surround diabetes MINNEAPOLIS - Nearly 80% of the American public does not know the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, according to a nationwide survey released March 27. The survey, commissioned by Medtronic, showed that almost half of respondents were unaware that two distinct forms of diabetes exist. In the survey, nearly 70% of people incorrectly believe a cure exists for Type 1 diabetes. The majority of respondents mentioned proper diet (25%), weight loss (18%), exercise (22%), insulin (16%) or other medication (12%) as ways patients can cure their Type 1 diabetes.