Elderly sleep apnea sufferers may actually live longer
Elderly patients with moderate sleep apnea live longer than their counterparts without the dangerous breathing condition, according to Israeli researchers.
In an article published in the Journal of Sleep Research, the researchers conclude that the intermittent lack of oxygen, known as hypoxia, that occurs with sleep apnea actually provides protection to elderly patients’ cardiovascular systems.
This would explain, they say, why elderly patients with moderate sleep apnea show significantly lower death rate compared with the general population.
Sleep apnea is characterised by interruptions in breathing during sleep that last 10 seconds or more, at least five times per hour.
They cause repeated interruptions of sleep and decreased oxygen levels in the blood, and have been linked with cardiovascular diseases, especially hypertension.
The condition affects up to 10% of adult men, who in most cases are not aware that their breathing stops during sleep but who complain of chronic fatigue, excessive sleepiness, tendency to doze off during the day and loud, intermittent snoring.
The latest research findings, which derived from the work of Professor Peretz Lavie and Dr Lena Lavie at Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, were based on a study of 611 individuals with a media age of 70, and a five-year follow-up period.
Behind this phenomenon, say the researchers, is a protein in the blood known as VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), which is created during hypoxia, and which is responsible for the growth of new blood vessels.
The study found that the ability of individuals to produce VEGF varied widely among patients, and individuals who could produce a large amount when exposed to hypoxia had more blood vessels around their hearts when compared to individuals who could not.
The resulting reservoir of blood, they believe, provides protection in the case of heart attack.
