Older Women with Sleep-Disordered Breathing at Higher Risk for Cognitive Impairment

Older women with sleep-disordered breathing are more likely to develop cognitive impairment, according to a prospective study in JAMA.
Some 300 U.S. women aged 65 or older without dementia underwent in-home polysomnography for one night; about one third demonstrated sleep-disordered breathing.
During roughly 5 years’ follow-up, 35% of all participants developed mild cognitive impairment or dementia. The incidence was significantly higher among women with than without sleep-disordered breathing (45% vs. 31%). Intermittent hypoxia (but not sleep fragmentation or duration) appeared to account for the elevated risk.
Editorialists call for more research but conclude that “physicians of patients with mild cognitive impairment and sleep-disordered breathing for whom treatment with CPAP [continuous positive airway pressure] may be indicated should consider these results.”