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Chemical control stability in the elderly.

Andrew Wellman1, Atul Malhotra, Amy S Jordan

  • 1Division of Sleep Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA. awellman@rics.bwh.harvard.edu

The Journal of Physiology
|February 24, 2007
PubMed
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Breathing control remains stable in healthy elderly individuals, with lower loop gains than in younger adults. This suggests aging does not cause breathing instability linked to sleep apneas.

Area of Science:

  • Respiratory physiology
  • Gerontology
  • Sleep medicine

Background:

  • Central apnoea and periodic breathing are more common in the elderly.
  • This suggests a potential age-related instability in the chemical control of breathing.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the stability of respiratory chemical control in healthy elderly individuals.
  • To compare breathing control stability between young, elderly, and elderly obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) populations.

Main Methods:

  • Measured 'loop gain,' a marker of respiratory control system stability, using proportional assist ventilation.
  • Studied 11 healthy elderly subjects, 3 elderly OSA patients, and compared data with previously studied young individuals.

Main Results:

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  • Healthy elderly subjects exhibited significantly lower loop gains (<=0.25) compared to young individuals (<=0.47).
  • Elderly individuals with OSA also showed low loop gains (<=0.26).

Conclusions:

  • The chemical control of breathing does not become unstable with aging.
  • Breathing instability is an unlikely cause of central and possibly obstructive apnoeas in the elderly.