According to Healio, a unique pattern on the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neurophysical Status test was able to identify patients with obstructive sleep apnea.
Amber Gerber, PsyD, LP, and Donn Dexter, MD, both with the Mayo Clinic Health System, wrote in their abstract that obstructive sleep apnea, which is a common and remediable condition, is a risk factor for cognitive dysfunction.
“One in five geriatric patients referred to the Memory Care Clinic at Mayo Clinic Health System in Eau Claire, Wis., have obstructive sleep apnea,” Gerber told Healio Internal Medicine. “It is imperative to screen for sleep-disordered breathing that may negatively impact memory.”
The researchers conducted a retrospective chart review of 191 patients seen in a memory care clinic and compared results from patients with the unique pattern with patients without it for presence of obstructive sleep apnea.
Results showed that 81 patients (42%) presented with the unique pattern, and of those, 52 were tested for obstructive sleep apnea. Of those, 35 patients (65%) tested positive.
