Korean J Med.
2008 Aug;75(2):156-161.
Sleep apnea in the elderly
- Affiliations
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- 1Department of Internal Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
- The prevalence of sleep disorders increases with age. Sleep apnea is one of the most important diseases in the field of sleep disorders and is also highly prevalent in the elderly. It affects older men and women similarly and excessive daytime sleepiness, cognitive impairment, nocturia, cardiovascular diseases, traffic accidents and repeated falls are common manifestations of sleep apnea in the elderly. Polysomnography is the gold standard for the diagnosis of sleep apnea and reliable markers of respiratory efforts and a tibial EMG should be included because central sleep apneas and periodic leg movements are common in the elderly patients. Although cardiovascular morbidity and mortality seem to be lower in the elderly than in middle-aged adults, these may not be as low as commonly believed. Treatment should not be withheld on the basis of age, as symptoms such as excessive daytime sleepiness, cognitive dysfunction and nocturia can be improved by effective treatment with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and compliance to CPAP use is not different from that in younger patients. Further clinical studies are warranted.
