Sleep-Disordered Breathing In Women Could Lead To Dementia
According to a new study, older women with sleep-disordered
breathing are more likely to develop cognitive impairment or
dementia. "Sleep-disordered breathing, a disorder characterized
by recurrent arousals from sleep and intermittent hypoxemia, is
common among older adults and affects up to 60 percent of
elderly populations," the study authors wrote in the August 10
issue of JAMA. "A number of adverse health outcomes including
hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes have been
associated with sleep-disordered breathing," according to
background information in the article. Cognitive impairment has
also been linked to sleep-disordered breathing in some studies,
but the design of most of the studies has limited the ability to
draw conclusions about the relationship between the two. "This
is the first study to show that sleep apnea MAY lead to
cognitive impairment," study leader Kristine Yaffe, MD,
professor of psychiatry, neurology and epidemi