Sleep apnea may increase risk of dementia

[New Sancai Compilation and First Release] A new study finds that sleep apnea appears to increase a person's chance of developing dementia.

A research team from the University of Michigan noted that this effect appears to be stronger in women than in men.

Fortunately, there are treatments that can help relieve sleep apnea, said study lead author Dr. Tiffany Braley.

"These potential harms caused by sleep apnea, many of which harm cognition and decline, highlight the importance of early diagnosis and treatment." Bray, chief of the multiple sclerosis/neuroimmunology division at the University of Michigan Health in Ann Arbor Lee said. Her team recently published their findings in the journal Sleep Advances.

The study tracked the results of 18,500 adults aged 50 or older who answered detailed questionnaires on topics such as sleep quality and underwent cognitive screening to assess their brain health.

Brealey's team found that having a history of sleep apnea (or symptoms of it, if undiagnosed) was associated with a 5 percent increased chance of developing dementia.

Five percent may not seem like a lot, but the Michigan team noted that the number remained the same even after accounting for many other factors that influence dementia risk, such as race and education.

Overall, women with sleep apnea appear to have a higher risk of developing dementia than men, the study found. It's unclear why this gender gap exists.

Researchers say sleep apnea in women tends to increase the incidence of heart disease and/or insomnia, both of which impair brain function.

Hormonal changes may also play a role, said study co-author Galit Levi Dunietz, an associate professor in the university's Department of Neurology and Sleep Medicine.

"As women enter menopause, estrogen begins to decline, which may affect their brains," Dunitz said. "During this period, they are more susceptible to changes in memory, sleep and mood, which may lead to cognitive decline. Postmenopausal sleep apnea increases significantly but remains underdiagnosed."

"We need more epidemiological research to better understand how women's sleep disorders impact their cognitive health," she said.

Brealey noted that in both men and women, "obstructive sleep apnea and the resulting lack of sleep and sleep fragmentation are also associated with inflammatory changes in the brain that may lead to cognitive impairment."

The authors emphasized that the study was not intended to prove that sleep apnea causes dementia, just that there is a link between the two.

Study co-author Dr. Ronald Chervin, director of the division of sleep medicine at the University of Michigan Health Center, said that proving a cause-and-effect relationship "will likely require multi-year randomized trials comparing sleep apnea treatment with no treatment." .

At the same time, he said, "Clinicians and patients should consider the possibility that untreated sleep apnea may cause or worsen dementia when making decisions about sleep apnea testing and treatment."

(Compiled by: Wang Jimin)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: Compiled and published by New Sancai)