Focused review


Management of obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome in neurocognitive disorders

Joel Barrett MD, Ashish Sarangi MD, Jessica Nelson MD

ABSTRACT

Obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) has important implications in afflicted patients’ overall management from critical care units to outpatient clinics. This clinical review addresses up-to-date recommendations from professional organizations, such as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and puts management in context of patients with comorbid neurocognitive disorders (such as vascular or Alzheimer’s dementia). For example, recent studies have found a potential bidirectional relationship between the disease process OSAHS and neurocognitive disorders or other psychiatric disorders found in older people. It is important to consider possible general medical and psychiatric contributors to severity of OSAHS, particularly in geriatric patients.

Keywords: Sleep apnea, obstructive; neurocognitive disorders; Alzheimer disease; depressive disorder, major




Article citation: Barrett J, Sarangi A, Nelson J. Management of obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome in neurocognitive disorders. The Southwest Respiratory and Critical Care Chronicles 2021;9(39):41–47

From: Department of Psychiatry, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, Texas

Submitted: 9/22/2021

Accepted: 4/4/2021

Reviewer: Kenneth Nugent MD

Conflicts of interest: none

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