0504 EFFECT OF AGE ON CLINICAL AND POLYSOMNOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS IN PATIENTS WITH OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA SYNDROME (OSAS)

Background There is limited data on clinical and polysomnographic characteristics in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in different age groups. Objectives To investigate possible influence of age on sleep architecture and daytime sleepiness in a large sample of OSAS patients. Methods We enrolled 2399 patients with OSAS (apnea-hypopnea index, AHI≥5) divided into two age groups: over 65 (n=1180, mean age 70.2±4.5 years), and 65 or under (n=1219, mean age 50.1,±10.9 years). Subjective daytime sleepiness, reflected by the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS), and polysomnographic parameters were recorded and compared between the two groups. Results There were no significantly differences regarding gender, BMI, daytime sleepiness (31.9% vs 46.7% had ESS›10) between the elderly and younger patients with OSAS, but the incidence of comorbidities such as hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases was significantly higher (p Conclusions Our results suggest that objective sleep quality was more impaired in elderly compared to younger-aged patients. Additionally the prevalence of sleepiness in the elderly group was low and elderly had more cardiovascular comorbidities.