Epidemiology of Age-Dependence in Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Old Age: The Bay Area Sleep Cohort

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is highly prevalent in elderly populations and is thought to reflect, at least in part, age dependence. Several studies suggest that SDB in elderly populations may hold different functional outcomes relative to SDB in middle-aged populations. Risk factors for SDB specific for the elderly remain uncertain. This article examines changes in SDB, body weight, and pulmonary function in 103 individuals over an average interval of 7 years to determine whether changes in these measures covary.