A new study by Spanish researchers has found that elderly people with severe sleep apnea face more than twice the risk of stroke than people with mild sleep apnea or none.
People with sleep apnea experience episodes when their breathing stops during sleep. Previous studies of the link between stroke and sleep apnea have focused on middle-aged people, but it's older people who have the greatest incidence of stroke, according to study lead researcher Dr. Roberto Munoz, a neurologist at the Hospital de Navarra, in Pamplona, Spain.
Patients with severe sleep apnea had a 2.5-fold increased risk of stroke than patients with no apnea, mild apnea or moderate apnea, Munoz's team found.
"Sleep apnea is two to three times more common in the elderly compared to middle-aged people," Munoz said in a prepared statement. "However, typical symptoms of sleep apnea, such as loud snoring or excessive daytime sleepiness, are less prevalent in the elderly compared to middle-aged people. We should be aware of these symptoms, and specifically look for the presence of repetitive breathing pauses in our patients and relatives."
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