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P1‐190: Evidence of Sleep Apnea in MCI/Mild Dementia
Author(s) -
Hannesdottir Kristin,
Snaedal Jon,
Josefsson Atli,
Arvidsson Annie,
Gislason Thorarinn
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
alzheimer's and dementia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.713
H-Index - 118
eISSN - 1552-5279
pISSN - 1552-5260
DOI - 10.1016/j.jalz.2011.05.470
Subject(s) - dementia , medicine , apnea , population , sleep apnea , breathing , depression (economics) , anxiety , pediatrics , cardiology , physical therapy , audiology , anesthesia , psychiatry , disease , environmental health , economics , macroeconomics
Background: Recent epidemiological and pathological studies report that subcortical ischemic cerebrovascular disease (SIVD) is a common finding in elderly individualswith cognitive impairment, either in isolation or in combination with AD lesions. The goal of the present study was to investigate the rate and severity of SIVD lesions seen onMRI in an elderly cohort.Methods: We conducted a community-based study of cognitive and neuropsychiatric disorders in Caet e, a small town in southeast Brazil. A total of 639 participants (75+ years) completed the clinical evaluations from the study protocol and a sample of 120 subjects was imaged with a 3.0 Tesla MRI. Cognitive status was ascertained through an expert consensus panel. Participants were classified as cognitively healthy (controls), cognitive impairment no dementia (CIND) and dementia subjects. MR images were analyzed with the Fazekas et al. semiquantitative rating scale, with scores ranging from 0 to 3 for each of two types of white matter lesions (periventricular and deep white matter), yielding a total score range from 0 to 6, with greater values indicating more severe SIVD.Results: The sample was composed by 120 subjects (75 women, aged 80.146 4.10 years and with mean schooling of 2.99 6 2.70 years), being 49 cognitively healthy individuals controls, 36 cases with CIND and 35 patients with dementia. The mean Fazekas score for the whole sample was 3.58 6 1.67, with dementia patients presenting higher scores (3.97) than controls (3.16), although this difference did not reach statistical significance (p 1⁄4 0.06). Fazekas scores from 3 to 6, consistent with moderate to severe SIVD, were observed in 53% of the whole elderly group. No correlation was found between the Fazekas score and performance in the MMSE, although a trend was observed for an association between the former and the scores in delayed recall task and category fluency (p 1⁄4 0.064). Conclusions: The rate of moderate to severe SIVD was very high in this cohort of oldest-old individuals, confirming that it consists and important cause of cognitive impairment or comorbidity in this age range.