title: Sleep apnoea syndrome as a risk for mortality in elderly inpatients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The characteristics of sleep apnoea syndrome (SAS) in the elderly, including subtype classification and association with mortality, have not been fully elucidated. This study examined these factors in an elderly Japanese inpatient population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Overnight polysomnography was used to diagnose and classify SAS in 145 elderly inpatients (mean ± age 81 ± 8 years). Clinical data, including brain computerized tomography findings, were recorded. The study population included nine inpatients with obstructive SAS, 12 with central SAS, 25 with mixed SAS and 99 controls (no SAS).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Increased body mass index and grade of aortic arch calcification independently contributed to risk of all subtypes of SAS combined. There was an independent association between SAS and increased risk of mortality from all causes as well as from pneumonia and from cardiovascular disease. Only mixed SAS was independently and positively associated with increased risk of death from pneumonia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Obstructive, central and mixed SAS were associated with increased risk of cardiovascular related and all-cause mortality. Mixed SAS was associated with an increase in mortality from pneumonia. There was no relationship between mortality and severity of SAS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Kanazawa Medical University, 1-1 Daigaku, Uchinada-machi, Kahoku-gun, Ishikawa 920-0293, Japan. shigeto@kanazawa-med.ac.jp
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morimoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Okaishi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okuro
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakahashi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mizuno
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanda
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Toga
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000401:mortality*; D002423:Cause of Death; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients; D007564:Japan; D008297:Male; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000401:mortality*; D017286:Polysomnography; D012307:Risk Factors; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000150:complications; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000150:complications