Sleep Med Psychophysiol.  2001 Jun;8(1):11-17.

Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders in the Elderly

• Shin C

Abstract

In 2000, the number of people aged 65 and over increased to 3.37 million, accounting for 7.1% of the total population of South Korea. The elderly population will increase up to 19.3% in 2030. Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) seems to increase with age. More than 50-60% of old people complain of SDB-related signs and symptoms including awakening headache, excessive daytime sleepiness, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, memory loss, personality changes, and depression. The influence of a mild degree of SDB upon the elderly is unclear, but moderate to severe SDB is well known to be associated with many diseases including hypertension, arrhythmia, myocardial infarction, stroke, dementia, and sudden death. Therefore, physicians should pay attention to elderly patients who complain of SDB related symptoms and signs that may not be normal signs of aging. Physicians need to become more sensitive to treat SDB in the elderly.

Keyword

Sleep disorderd breathing; Snoring; Sleep apnea; Upper airway resistance syndrome; Elderly

MeSH Terms

Aged*
Aging
Arrhythmias, Cardiac
Death, Sudden
Dementia
Depression
Fatigue
Headache
Humans
Hypertension
Korea
Memory Disorders
Myocardial Infarction
Respiration*
Sleep Apnea Syndromes
Snoring
Stroke