title: Continuous positive airway pressure reduces subjective daytime sleepiness in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease with sleep disordered breathing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Studies have reported that 33% to 70% of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment has been shown to reduce daytime sleepiness and improve health-related quality of life in nondemented older people with SDB. The effect of therapeutic CPAP treatment on daytime sleepiness in patients with mild-moderate AD with SDB was assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients' home and the University of California San Diego, General Clinical Research Center, J. Christian Gillin Laboratory of Sleep and Chronobiology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-nine community-dwelling elderly patients with mild-moderate probable AD with SDB.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients were randomly assigned to receive 6 weeks of therapeutic CPAP or 3 weeks of sham CPAP followed by 3 weeks of therapeutic CPAP.
  
  
  METHODS
  Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) was administered at baseline, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks. Changes in daytime sleepiness in subjects who received optimal therapeutic CPAP were compared with changes in the sham CPAP group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Within the therapeutic CPAP group, ESS scores were reduced from 8.89 during baseline to 6.56 after 3 weeks of treatment (P=.04) and to 5.53 after 6 weeks of treatment (P=.004). In the sham CPAP group, there was no significant difference after 3 weeks of sham CPAP but a significant decrease from 7.68 to 6.47 (P=.01) after 3 weeks of therapeutic CPAP.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data provide evidence of the effectiveness of CPAP in reducing subjective daytime sleepiness in patients with AD with SDB.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Univeristy of California at San Diego, San Diego, CA 92161, USA.
authors.forename: Mei S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Chong
authors.forename: Liat
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ayalon
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marler
authors.forename: Jose S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Loredo
authors.forename: Jody
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Corey-Bloom
authors.forename: Barton W
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Palmer
authors.forename: Lianqi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Sonia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ancoli-Israel
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications*; D045422:Continuous Positive Airway Pressure; D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome