Author(s)
Meghana Chowdhary Chanamolu, MD
Nina Gallo, MD
Meredith Ashley Allen, MD
M. Boyd Gillespie, MD MSc
Affiliation(s)
University of Tennessee Health and Science Center;
Abstract:
Educational Objective: At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants should be able to understand the risk of developing comorbidities in OSA patients diagnosed with dementia to those without dementia.
Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is widely recognized as a catalyst for comorbid conditions in patients. It has been identified as a contributing factor in the onset of dementia, a condition that independently carries a risk for health complications. We hypothesize that those with OSA and dementia will have a higher risk of developing comorbidities than those diagnosed with only OSA.
Study Design: A retrospective analysis using TriNetX datasets from 2014 to the present to compare the development of comorbidities in OSA patients with and without dementia.
Methods: The patients were divided into two cohorts: cohort 1 (103,810 patients), consisting of OSA patients without dementia, and cohort 2 (3,600 patients), consisting of OSA patients with dementia. Populations were matched for age, gender, race, and BMI.
Results: 3,590 patients were included and analyzed in both cohorts. Patients with OSA and dementia had an increased risk for heart disease [OR:0.749 (95% CI: 0.681, 0.823)], hypertensive kidney disease [OR:0.629 (95% CI: 0.553, 0.715)], hypotension [OR:0.572 (95% CI: 0.494, 0.661)], cerebrovascular disease [OR:0.514 (95% CI: 0.447, 0.59)], malnutrition [OR:0.415 (95% CI: 0.338, 0.509)], epilepsy [OR:0.218 (95% CI: 0.167, 0.284)], respiratory failure [OR:0.652 (95% CI: 0.577, 0.738)], and increased risk of external causes of morbidity [OR:0.539 (95% CI: 0.482, 0.603)] when compared to those with OSA without dementia. Hypertensive CKD, respiratory failure, and external causes of morbidity were significantly greater in OSA patients with dementia than those without dementia (p < 0.05).
Conclusions: Patients diagnosed with both OSA and dementia were associated with a higher risk of developing malnutrition, epilepsy, several cardiovascular comorbidities, and a higher risk of an external cause of morbidity.