Korean J Geriatr Gerontol.  2023 Aug;24(2):72-79. 10.15656/kjcg.2023.24.2.72.

Gender, Age and Clinical Characteristics of Older Adults with High-Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Assessed by the STOP-Bang Questionnaire

• Kim GL
• Kim YJ
• Lee JG
• Yi YH
• Tak YJ
• Lee SH
• Ra YJ
• Lee SY
• Cho YH
• Park EJ
• Lee Y
• Choi JI
• Lee SR
• Kwon RJ
• Son SM

• KMID: 2566357
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.15656/kjcg.2023.24.2.72

Abstract

Background
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is considered to be associated with neurocognitive dysfunction, depression, quality of life and cardiovascular diseases. OSA is likely to have a significant impact on the health of older adults. This study was to identify characteristics of older adults with high risk for OSA according to age and gender.
Methods
This study was conducted on adults aged 65 years or older who participated in the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) 2020. Characteristics of the high-risk group for OSA were investigated using the STOP-Bang questionnaire of the KNHANES data and were compared according to gender and age. The health status, metabolic variables, concurrent disease of the high risk group were compared with the control group.
Results
In older adults aged 65 or older, snoring rates significantly decreased as their ages increased in both sex. The high risk group had a higher rate for performing strength exercise than control group. Depression showed a higher rate in the high risk group, but there was no difference in stress and quality of life in the two groups. The waist circumference and the prevalence of hypertension, stroke, dyslipidemia, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome was higher in the high-risk OSA group.
Conclusion
It is unclear whether OSA-related symptoms increase with age in older adults over 65 years of age. Waist circumference was higher in the OSA high risk group, and this study showed that the OSA high risk group may be more likely to have metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease.

Keyword

Aged; Metabolic disease; Obstructive; Quality of life; Sleep apnea