Positive airway pressure in older people: A randomised controlled trial (PREDICT)
Obstructive sleep apnoea hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS) is the name given to breathing difficulties during sleep caused by the repetitive closure of the throat. This condition is the third most common respiratory disorder leading to; sleep disruption, daytime sleepiness, high blood pressure and possible increased risks of heart attack, stroke and memory problems. In older people the prevalence is almost 10 times greater with up to 20% of the older population being affected. OSAHS can be treated with Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) which acts as a pneumatic splint maintaining the airway patency.
A recent report by NICE concluded that CPAP is an extremely cost-effective treatment for OSAHS in middle-aged people. Unfortunately, the beneficial effects of CPAP cannot be presumed to be replicable in older people because the causes and consequences of the disease change with age.
This UK multi-centre randomised trial funded by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme will measure the effects of treating OSAHS with CPAP in patients over the age of 65. This will address the paucity of data in this age group and will directly inform clinical practise and health care planning at a national level.
Collaborators
Dr Renata Riha – University of Edinburgh (Co-principle investigator)
Professor Rob Davies – University of Oxford (Director of PREDICT)
References
The cardiovascular response to arousal from sleep decreases with age in healthy adults.
Goff EA, O'Driscoll DM, Simonds AK, Trinder J, Morrell MJ.
Sleep. 2008 Jul 1;31(7):1009-17
Sleep apnoea and daytime function in the elderly--what is the impact of arousal frequency?
Brown HA, Adams L, Simonds AK, Morrell MJ. Sleep and Ventilation Unit, National Heart and Lung
Institute, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, UK.
