Treating Sleep Apnea May Reduce Dementia Risk in Older Adults

A new study published in Sleep suggests older adults who received positive airway pressure therapy prescribed for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be less likely to develop dementia, reports the National Herald . "We found a significant association between positive airway pressure use and lower risk of Alzheimer's and other types of dementia over three years, suggesting that positive airway pressure may be protective against dementia risk in people with OSA," said University of Michigan (U-M) Professor Galit Levi Dunietz. The investigators analyzed Medicare claims of more than 50,000 beneficiaries 65 and older who had been diagnosed with OSA. They considered whether people who used positive airway pressure therapy were less likely to receive a new diagnosis of dementia or mild cognitive impairment over the next three years, versus those who did not. "If a causal pathway exists between OSA treatment and dementia risk, as our findings suggest, diagnosis and effective treatment of OSA could play a key role in the cognitive health of older adults," said U-M's Tiffany J. Braley.