BackgroundSeveral studies have demonstrated that body habitus is associated with survival (life expectancy) time. We sought to determine if survival differed between elite athletes with a range of body types. We hypothesized that the survival would differ between athlete types and that ectomorph athletes would have longer survival than heavier athletes.MethodsFor each Olympics between 1928 and 1948 we identified the top (up to 20) Olympic male and female finishers in the high jump (HJ), discus throw, marathon, and 100-m run. We determined date of death using internet searches and calculated age-specific expected survival using published US life tables. We adjusted life expectancy for country of origin based on Global Burden of Disease data.ResultsWe identified a death date for 336 of 429 (78%) Olympic athletes including 229 males (55 marathon, 56 100-m 58 high jump, 60 discus), and 107 females (54 100-m, 25 high jump, 28 discus). Discus throwers were heaviest and marathon runners the lightest and oldest athletes (p < 0.01). Observed-expected survival was highest for high jumpers (7.1 years for women, 3.7 years for men) and marathon runners (4.7 years for men) and lowest for sprinters (−1.6 years for women and −0.9 years for men). In multivariate analysis controlling for age and gender, type of sport remained significantly associated with mortality with greatest survival for high jumpers and marathon runners compared to discus throwers and sprinters (p = 0.005). Controlling for weight, reduced the survival benefit of high jumpers over discus throwers, but had little effect on the survival benefit of marathon runners vs. sprinters.ConclusionSignificant differences in long term survival exist for different types of track and field Olympic athletes that were explained in part by weight.

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Introduction Current treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) include positive airway pressure, oral appliances, and upper airway surgery. The Day and Night Appliance (DNA) is a component of a dentist-guided system (Complete Airway Repositioning and Expansion [CARE], Vivos Therapeutics) that leads to gradual increases in upper airway volume. This study examines the effects of DNA treatment on OSA in patients before and after use of the device; we also examined how DNA treatment was impacted by concurrent myofunctional and CPAP therapy. Methods Data from a prospectively-collected clinical database (Vivos Airway Intelligence Service [AIS]) were reviewed, and 94 adult OSA patients who met DNA use criteria and had pre- and post-treatment sleep studies without the device in place were included. We compared the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and oxygen desaturation index (ODI) pre- and post-treatment using a paired t-test and fit linear regression models with change in AHI and ODI as dependent variables. Results Mean patient age was 47.8±14.7 years and 44.7% were men. Pre- and post-treatment sleep studies were conducted 15.2±7.0 months apart. 24.5% of patients were treated with DNA and myofunctional therapy (14.1% exclusively myofunctional, 10.4% myofunctional plus another treatment, e.g., tonsillectomy, frenectomy). 17.0% of patients were treated with CPAP (12.8% exclusively CPAP, 4.2% CPAP plus another treatment). For both pre-treatment and post-treatment, mean AHIs were 22.3±19.4 and 12.7±11.2 respectively (p&lt; 0.0001) and mean ODIs were 11.6±13.7 and 7.8±9.1 respectively (p&lt; 0.0001). Excluding patients who had undergone myofunctional therapy and another treatment modality and adjusting for patient age, BMI, and gender, we found myofunctional therapy was associated with a -10.4 change in AHI (p=0.038). However, myofunctional therapy was not associated with a significant change in ODI (p=0.905). Concurrent CPAP use did not have a significant association with change in either AHI (p=0.47) or ODI (p=0.61). Conclusion This study shows that DNA use significantly improved post-treatment OSA severity, and that concurrent myofunctional but not CPAP therapy may result in further OSA improvement. An oral appliance system that provides palatal expansion with consequent improvement in OSA severity but does not require permanent nightly use has advantages over conventional oral appliances; however, further investigation is warranted. Support (if any)