Cerebrovascular Reactivity in Young and Old Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract Objective Impaired cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) increases the risk of ischemic stroke. CVR also decreases with age in normal individuals. However, it is unclear whether OSAS affects CVR differently in young and old patients. The aim of this study was to compare CVR in old and young patients with OSAS via transcranial Doppler (TCD) measurements of changes in cerebral blood flow velocity in the middle cerebral artery (MCAmv) during breath holding and hyperventilation. Methods A total of 20 old patients (≥65 y) and 40 young patients ( Results No differences were found in MCAmv at baseline, apnea or hyperventilation between the two groups with different OSAS severities. However, reduced BHI (P Conclusions These findings suggest that CVR in young patients is more impacted by OSAS severity than that in old patients, suggesting the existence of age-related cerebrovascular susceptibility to OSAS.