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Sleep Apnea In The News

Severe sleep apnea linked to stroke - August 3, 2006
 

Severe sleep apnea in the elderly increases the risk of ischemic stroke by two times, compared to the elderly with no or mild apnea, says a Spanish study.

"This study provides more evidence that severe sleep apnea represents an independent risk factor for stroke in the elderly population," said study leader Dr. Roberto Munoz.

Sleep apnea is characterized by episodes of breathing stoppages during sleep and earlier studies of stroke and sleep apnea focused on middle-aged people, but the greatest incidence of stroke is in older people, said Munoz, a neurologist at the Hospital de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain.

The researchers used data from 394 people ages 70 to 100 who participated in the Vitoria Sleep Project in Vitoria, Spain.

The project involved interviewing participants to gather basic information such as height, weight, body mass index, neck circumference and medications for hypertension, diabetes and cholesterol. Then their sleep was monitored.

Twenty of the participants experienced ischemic strokes over a six-year period.

Patients with severe sleep apnea had a two-and-a-half times greater risk of suffering a stroke during the study than patients with no apnea, mild apnea or moderate apnea, according to the study published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.