Older women with sleep-disordered breathing had an increased risk of developing cognitive impairment, according to “Sleep-disordered breathing, hypoxia, and risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older women,” which appears in the Aug. 10 issue of JAMA.

The prospective sleep and cognition study involved 298 women without dementia.  They had a mean age of 82 years and were evaluated by overnight polysomnography.  Results show that the 105 women with sleep-disordered breathing were more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment or dementia (adjusted odds ratio 1.85).