CPAP may not benefit people older than 80 with sleep apnea
This article states that CPAP might not help patients who are 80 years of age or older.
This has me wondering whether it applies to first time CPAP users in this age group, or also to long term CPAP users as they age into this category.
In fourteen years, I will age into this category. I'm not planning to discontinue use at that time.
Link ===>
https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2022/02/...644959106/
RE: CPAP may not benefit people older than 80 with sleep apnea
>>> Gozal suggested that the study may have shown benefits from CPAP in some older patients if it had continued for longer than three months.
>>> "Severely sleepy patients, as well as those with respiratory disorders that resulted in low oxygen levels, were excluded from the trial. Conceivably, these patients may be the ones most likely to benefit from CPAP."
Three month trial, and they excluded the folk who need it most... I hope this study bought their boat
Apnea Board Monitors are members who help oversee the smooth functioning of the Board. They are also members of the Advisory Committee which helps shape Apnea Board's rules & policies. Membership in the Advisory Members group does not imply medical expertise or qualification for advising Sleep Apnea patients concerning their treatment.
RE: CPAP may not benefit people older than 80 with sleep apnea
Heavy emphasis on "may"... This is the issue when you draw incorrect conclusions based on averages...
"Rather, a personalized medicine approach to sleep apnea therapy may be more effective," Greenberg said. "Some patients in this trial achieved improvement in daytime sleepiness with CPAP, even though the average difference between the treatment and no treatment groups did not reach statistical significance."
No two persons are the same. Comparing averages is useless. Age is not what determines apnea or other health issues or the efficacy treating apnea will have it is the specifics of each individual person that determine this.
RE: CPAP may not benefit people older than 80 with sleep apnea
My husband, on CPAP for 7 years, is 82 in 2 months and if he discontinues his use he will be sleeping by himself at the other side of the house! I didn't think much of that study!
RE: CPAP may not benefit people older than 80 with sleep apnea
(05-01-2022, 12:39 AM)SideSleeper Wrote: My husband, on CPAP for 7 years, is 82 in 2 months and if he discontinues his use he will be sleeping by himself at the other side of the house! I didn't think much of that study!
I agree with you. I plan to continue using CPAP on my 80th birthday and beyond.
Also, the benefit of silence is for you, even if he doesn't get a benefit.
RE: CPAP may not benefit people older than 80 with sleep apnea
I am also over 80 also and don't plan on hanging up my hose. I also have congestive heart failure and know I should be using it.
05-01-2022, 07:08 PM
(This post was last modified: 05-01-2022, 07:10 PM by mesenteria.)
RE: CPAP may not benefit people older than 80 with sleep apnea
Even those 80+ have to breathe. If they have a condition at 79 that requires PAP therapy of a kind, the addition of a year won't make a significant difference. I'm betting that another five won't matter either. I wonder, too, what sort of controls they used for the obvious confounds.
RE: CPAP may not benefit people older than 80 with sleep apnea
Interesting that chair of the department of child health at the University of Missouri's School of Medicine is studying geriatric response to CPAP. This study did not use objective data:
"The investigators found that among patients over 80, CPAP did not have much effect on sleep apnea. Although patients using CPAP had significantly improved snoring and witnessed apnea, there were no improvements in apnea-related symptoms, such as depression, anxiety or blood pressure levels. "
See that? The end-points were depression, anxiety and blood pressure. The fact that CPAP users had less snoring and observed apnea was not part of the conclusion, let alone the use of CPAP data or polysomnography. This is just a B.S. study not even worth the paper it was printed on. I have not looked at the actual study, but without titration, monitoring of compliance and and proper support, it is not a surprise the use of CPAP did not result in subjective or quantitative improvement of the selected end-points.
RE: CPAP may not benefit people older than 80 with sleep apnea
Very good summary, Sleeprider!
