0718 Sarcopenia Increases the Frequency of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in the Elderly

Abstract

Introduction: The elderly tends to develop obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) through coexistence of chronic respiratory organ disorders, increases in upper airway collapse, strokes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, diabetes mellitus and other physiological anatomical changes and diseases that accompany aging. However, few studies take into account the possibility of sarcopenia as a contributing factor to OSA. Thus, we aimed to compare the frequency of obstructive sleep apnea in the sarcopenic elderly. Methods: A total of 52 elderly subjects had chronic diseases that were only mild, stable and well-controlled by pharmacological treatment, were submitted to short battery of physical performance (SBPP), manual grip test and body composition analysis by full body densitometry (DXA), to identify the presence of sarcopenia, according to the recommendations of the European Consensus on the Diagnosis of Sarcopenia. Thus, 29 elderly people comprised the control group (CTL) and 23 the sarcopenic elderly group (SCP). In addition, all patients were submitted to polysomnography. Results: Muscle mass index was similar between CTL (2.52 ± 0.39 g/ m2) and SCP group (2.40 ± 0.90 g/ m2; p>;0.05), but as expected, manual grip strength, and SBPP scores were lower in SCP vs CTL (27.62 ± 6.96 kg vs 39.85 ± 5.3 kg; 8.81 ± 2.28 points vs 11.16 ± 1.02 points respectively; p<0.05). The presence of obstructive sleep apnea was lower in the CTL (11.97 ± 2.69 n°) compared to the SCP group (41.78 ± 9.75 n°; p=0.002). Moreover, the percentage of total sleep time with O2 saturation below 90% was also higher in the SCP group (6.63 ± 1.86%) compared to the SCP group (2.35 ± 0.71 %; p=0.03). Conclusion: In conclusion, older sarcopenic subjects have higher rates of obstructive sleep apnea than non-sarcopenic adults reflecting O2 desaturation during sleep.