Sleep apneic activity in older healthy subjects

The percentage of subjects with sleep apneic activity was significantly greater in a group of 60 healthy subjects who were 50 yr and older compared with a control group of 69 subjects who were younger than 50 yr. Sixteen of the older subjects (26.7%) and six of the younger subjects (8.7%) met the criteria for sleep apneic activity, i.e., 3-29 episodes per night. However, only one of the older subjects (1.7%) had enough sleep apneic activity (30 or more episodes in a night) to meet the definition of the condition of sleep apnea. In both age groups, sleep apneic activity (SAA) was slightly more prevalent in males than females. Older subjects with SAA were not significantly heavier than those without SAA but were so when compared with the younger subjects with SAA. In the 29 older subjects for whom hemoglobin O₂ saturation (Sa(O2)) was recorded, those with SAA had a significantly lower mean minimum Sa(O2) value (87%) than those without (92%).