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.
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