WebMD Medical News Laura J. Martin, MD April 1, 2011 -- Older
adults who have sleep apnea and who are excessively sleepy in
the daytime may have more than twice the risk of death as people
who do not have both conditions, new research suggests. In a
study of 289 adults over age 65 without depression or dementia,
the risk of death was not increased for people with sleep apnea
without excessive daytime sleepiness or for those who reported
only excessive daytime sleepiness without having sleep apnea,
the researchers say. “Excessive daytime sleepiness, when
associated with sleep apnea, can significantly increase the risk
of death in older adults,” study researcher Nalaka S.
Gooneratne, MD, MSc, of the University of Pennsylvania Health
System in Philadelphia, says in a news release. “We did not find
that being sleepy in and of itself was a risk. Instead, the risk
of increased mortality only seemed to occur when sleep apnea was
also present.” Both sleep apnea and excessive daytime sleepiness
are common problems, wi