Abstract
The incidence of sleep apnea was explored in 80 elderly subjects. Through the use of several criteria, sleep apnea was found more frequently in Alzheimer’s patients (n= 24) than in healthy controls (n= 56). Alzheimer’s patients were also found to have a significantly higher proportion of apnea related to non-rapid eye movement than to rapid eye movement sleep. Apnea-positive Alzheimer’s patients also had significantly more awake time during the course of die night. A significant positive correlation between apnea index and severity of dementia, as measured by the Blessed Dementia Rating Scale, was found for apnea-positive Alzheimer’s patients (r= 0.57, p <.0l) as well as for the entire sample of Alzheimer’s patients (r= 0.41, p <.05). Neuropathological implications are discussed, as are implications for nursing practice.
Published Version
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