Sleep-disordered breathing in Vietnam veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.
OBJECTIVE
: To study the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in Vietnam- era veterans.


METHODS
: This was an observational study of Vietnam-era veterans using unattended, overnight polysomnography, cognitive testing, and genetic measures.


RESULTS
: A sample of 105 Vietnam-era veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder: 69% had an Apnea Hypopnea Index >10. Their mean body mass index was 31, "obese" by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria, and body mass index was significantly associated with Apnea Hypopnea Index (Spearman r = 0.41, N = 97, p < 0.0001). No significant effects of sleep-disordered breathing or apolipoprotein status were found on an extensive battery of cognitive tests.


CONCLUSIONS
: There is a relatively high prevalence of SDB in these patients which raises the question of to what degree excess cognitive loss in older PTSD patients may be due to a high prevalence of SDB.
Yesavage
Jerome A
JA
Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA. yesavage@stanford.edu
Kinoshita
Lisa M
LM
Kimball
Timothy
T
Zeitzer
Jamie
J
Friedman
Leah
L
Noda
Art
A
David
Renaud
R
Hernandez
Beatriz
B
Lee
Tina
T
Cheng
Jauhtai
J
Oʼhara
Ruth
R
D001057:Apolipoproteins E / Q000235:genetics; D015992:Body Mass Index; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017286:Polysomnography; D015995:Prevalence; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000150:complications*; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D047829:Vietnam Conflict
D001057:Apolipoproteins E