In 56 psychiatric inpatients aged 65 and older, common sleep-apnea questionnaires sorted poorly

What the research found

Sleep and Breathing published an observational cohort on 6 November 2026. The paper's background links obstructive sleep apnea in older adults with cognitive decline. This study did not measure thinking. Maximilian Bailer and colleagues at University Hospital Erlangen looked at psychiatric inpatients admitted from June 2016 through December 2022 who were already considered at risk for obstructive sleep apnea and who had an overnight breathing study plus a questionnaire. Of 128 people, 72 were ages 18 to 64 and 56 were 65 or older. Older patients had a higher median apnea-hypopnea index (7.7 versus 1.8 events per hour) and more often had any apnea (73.2 percent versus 47.2 percent at 5 or more events per hour). In the younger group, questionnaire areas under the curve ran from 0.61 to 0.78. In the older group those areas were 0.12 to 0.36 lower. BOAH was the highest at 0.59, and the other questionnaires sat between 0.38 and 0.49, mainly because they were less specific. Age alone had an area under the curve of 0.70 (95 percent CI 0.61 to 0.80). Body mass index, neck size, and symptom items sorted poorly. This is a screened inpatient sample, not a test of a treatment. The abstract does not give a sex split. DOI 10.1007/s11325-026-03847-0. Not medical advice.

Evidence level: Human study. A study in people, but an association isn't proof of cause.

Read the original at Sleep and Breathing