Sleep apnea treatment may reverse memory problems
Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:53pm ET
http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=healthNews&storyid=
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The results of a preliminary study suggest that
memory deficits that are common among people with sleep apnea can improve when
they are treated with positive airway pressure.
Sleep apnea occurs when breathing passages become obstructed during sleep, often
when soft tissues around the larynx and throat collapse inward. Breathing can be
interrupted temporarily but frequently, often accompanied by snoring. A proven
treatment is a face or nose mask connected to a machine that delivers continuous
pressurized air to keep the airways open during sleep.
Dr. Molly E. Zimmerman at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New
York, and her associates screened 179 people diagnosed with sleep apnea, and
identified 58 with measurable memory impairments.
All 58 subjects were prescribed treatment with a positive airway pressure (PAP)
device, with an internal microprocessor to monitor compliance. The results are
reported in the December issue of the medical journal Chest.
After 3 months of treatment, the investigators classified subjects according to
treatment adherence: 14 used positive airway pressure on average of less than 2
hours per night (poor users); 25 who used PAP 2 to 6 hours per night (moderate
users); and 19 who used the device more than 6 hours per night (optimal users).
Zimmerman's team found that 21 percent of poor users, 44 percent of moderate
users, and 68 percent of optimal users achieved normal memory performance after
3 months.
"The information obtained from these results could be used as a potential
motivator for (sleep apnea) patients struggling with poor positive airway
pressure adherence," the investigators suggest.