Continuous positive airway pressure reduces subjective daytime sleepiness in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease with sleep disordered breathing

Mei S. Chong, Liat Ayalon, Matthew Marler, Jose S. Loredo, Jody Corey-Bloom, Barton W. Palmer, Lianqi Liu, Sonia Ancoli-Israel

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

128 Scopus citations

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Studies have reported that 33% to 70% of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment has been shown to reduce daytime sleepiness and improve health-related quality of life in non-demented older people with SDB. The effect of therapeutic CPAP treatment on daytime sleepiness in patients with mild-moderate AD with SDB was assessed. DESIGN: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: Patients' home and the University of California San Diego, General Clinical Research Center, J. Christian Gillin Laboratory of Sleep and Chronobiology. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-nine community-dwelling elderly patients with mild-moderate probable AD with SDB. INTERVENTION: Patients were randomly assigned to receive 6 weeks of therapeutic CPAP or 3 weeks of sham CPAP followed by 3 weeks of therapeutic CPAP. MEASUREMENTS: Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) was administered at baseline, 3 weeks, and 6 weeks. Changes in daytime sleepiness in subjects who received optimal therapeutic CPAP were compared with changes in the sham CPAP group. RESULTS: Within the therapeutic CPAP group, ESS scores were reduced from 8.89 during baseline to 6.56 after 3 weeks of treatment (P = .04) and to 5.53 after 6 weeks of treatment (P = .004). In the sham CPAP group, there was no significant difference after 3 weeks of sham CPAP but a significant decrease from 7.68 to 6.47 (P = .01) after 3 weeks of therapeutic CPAP. CONCLUSION: These data provide evidence of the effectiveness of CPAP in reducing subjective daytime sleepiness in patients with AD with SDB.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)777-781
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of the American Geriatrics Society
Volume54
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2006
Externally publishedYes

Funding

FundersFunder number
National Institute on AgingP50AG005131

    Keywords

    • Alzheimer's disease
    • Continuous positive airway pressure
    • Daytime sleepiness
    • Sleep-disordered breathing

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