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Sleep-disordered breathing in alcoholics: association with age
M S Aldrich1, J E Shipley, R Tandon
1University of Michigan Alcohol Research Center, Ann Arbor.
Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research
|December 1, 1993
Summary
Sleep-disordered breathing is common in abstinent male alcoholics, especially those over 40. This condition significantly disrupts sleep and increases with age more than in healthy men.
Area of Science:
- Sleep Medicine
- Addiction Psychiatry
- Gerontology
Background:
- Sleep apnea and related disorders are frequently observed in individuals abstinent from alcohol.
- Age is a potential factor influencing sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in this population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between age and the prevalence/severity of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in abstinent alcoholics.
- To compare SDB prevalence in alcoholics with age-related SDB in the general population.
Main Methods:
- Polysomnography was conducted for one night on 75 abstinent alcoholic subjects.
- Sleep-disordered breathing was defined as 10 or more apneas plus hypopneas per hour of sleep.
Main Results:
- SDB was present in 17% of men (aged 22-76) and 0% of women (aged 28-63).
- SDB prevalence increased significantly with age in men: 3% (<40), 25% (40-59), and 75% (>60).
- SDB was associated with higher BMI and significantly more disturbed sleep in affected individuals, with age-related increases exceeding those in healthy men.
Conclusions:
- Sleep-disordered breathing is highly prevalent in older, abstinent male alcoholics, particularly those over 40.
- Age-related increases in SDB are more pronounced in male alcoholics than in healthy men.
- SDB significantly contributes to sleep disturbance in a substantial proportion of middle-aged and older male alcoholics.