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Updated: Mar 23, 2026

Multi-Modal Home Sleep Monitoring in Older Adults
Published on: January 26, 2019
Self-Reported Sleep Disordered Breathing as Risk Factor for Mortality in the Elderly
Angeliki Tsapanou1, Yian Gu2, Deirdre O'Shea2
1Cognitive Neuroscience Division, Department of Neurology and The Taub Institute for Research on Alzheimer's disease and the Aging Brain, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, New York; National and Kapodistrian University of Athens Medical School, Athens, Greece.
Self-reported sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a significant risk factor for mortality in older adults. This finding holds true even after accounting for various demographic and health factors in diverse populations.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Sleep Medicine
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a condition affecting many older adults.
- Understanding SDB's impact on mortality is crucial for geriatric health.
- Community-dwelling elderly populations present unique challenges in sleep health research.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between self-reported sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and mortality.
- To analyze this relationship in a large, ethnically diverse cohort of elderly individuals.
- To determine if SDB is an independent risk factor for mortality in this demographic.
Main Methods:
- Longitudinal study of 1288 community-dwelling participants aged 65 and older.
- Sleep problems assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study Sleep Scale.
- Cox regression analysis used to examine SDB and mortality, adjusting for covariates.
Main Results:
- Over a 6-year follow-up, 18.6% of participants died.
- Self-reported SDB was significantly associated with increased mortality risk (HR=1.48).
- This association remained significant after adjusting for demographic and clinical factors.
Conclusions:
- Self-reported sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is a notable risk factor for mortality in older adults.
- The association between SDB and mortality is independent of demographic and clinical factors.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms underlying SDB-related mortality.
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