The Association Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Depression in Older Adults

Abstract

BackgroundDepression is the most frequent psychiatric disorder among the elderly. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic and prevalent disease that has an ambiguous role in triggering depression. Several researches with contradictory findings have been performed about the association between OSA and depression.ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the association between OSA and depression among elderly.Patients and MethodsA total of 350 home residing elderly took part in this case-control study. The participants were selected using clustering method. All cases were divided into two groups of depressed and non-depressed using the geriatric depression scale (GDS). Then they were matched in age, gender, education and body mass index (BMI). Berlin questionnaire (BQ) was used to diagnose OSA. Data analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney U test, t-test, Chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests and odds ratio.ResultsTotally, 60.6 % of depressed group and 18.9 % of non-depressed group were in high risk for OSA. A significant association was found between OSA and depression (P < 0.001, OR = 6.61, CI 95 % = 4.1 - 10.7). In addition, a significant association was found between gender and OSA (P = 0.008).ConclusionsOSA was associated with depression among the elderly patients. Given the high prevalence of OSA in older adults, implementation of screening methods is necessary to identify people at high risk of OSA.

Subjective cognitive decline and self‐reported sleep problems: The SCIENCe project

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“…34 Moreover, poor sleep quality (measured by PSQI) and sleep apnea (measured by Berlin questionnaire) have both been associated with depressive symptoms and anxiety in the elderly. [35][36][37][38] In our crosssectional study, causality is difficult to infer. Former studies have found a bidirectional relationship between sleep disturbances, anxiety, and depression, suggesting that each contributes to the develop-ment and are a consequence of one another.…”

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