Sleep Apnea Increases Risk for Dementia in Older Adults Over Time
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, Nov. 5, 2024 -- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) contributes to dementia risk in older adults, particularly women, according to a study published online Oct. 22 in Sleep Advances.
Tiffany J. Braley, M.D., from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and colleagues evaluated sex-specific associations between known or suspected OSA and dementia risk over 10 years. The analysis included 18,815 women and men (aged 50 years and older) participating in the Health and Retirement Study.
The researchers found that known/suspected OSA was associated with a higher cumulative incidence of dementia across ages 60 to 84 years for women and men. Compared with adults without known/suspected OSA, by age 80 years, the cumulative incidence of dementia was 4.7 percent higher for women with known/suspected OSA versus 2.5 percent for men with known/suspected OSA. When adjusting for age-specific OSA and cumulative incidence of dementia, results remained significant but were attenuated for both women and men.
"Our findings offer new insight into the role of a treatable sleep disorder on long-term cognitive health at the population level for both women and men," Braley said in a statement. "These potential harms caused by sleep apnea, many of which threaten cognitive performance and decline, highlight the importance of early diagnosis and treatment."
One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted November 2024
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