Clinical Significance of Sleep Apnea in the Elderly"

The generally accepted polysomnographic criteria for diagnosis of sleep apnea is exceeded by elderly subjects with such frequency that the validity of its application to this age group has been questioned.

We studied a group of elderly volunteers with nocturnal polysomnography and partitioned them into 2 groups based upon an apnea index of greater than or less than 5 per hour.

The results of a protocol evaluating the presence of potential complications of sleep apnea including cardiac arrhythmias, systemic hypertension, cor pulmonale, daytime sleepiness, and cognitive impairment were compared for the 2 groups.

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