What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to identify mortality predictors in older patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), particularly focusing on intermittent hypoxia.

June 3, 2026

Predictors of Mortality in Hypertensive Older Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: The Role of Intermittent Hypoxia

Key Points

This research aims to identify mortality predictors in older patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), particularly focusing on intermittent hypoxia.
Retrospective cohort study including patients aged >65 diagnosed with OSA (n=194).
Variables evaluated included AHI, ODI, SpO2, and comorbidities, with a median follow-up of 92.5 months.
Clinical characteristics and laboratory data were collected to analyze mortality associations.
32% of participants (62 deaths) occurred during follow-up.
Age (HR 1.11, p<0.001), coronary artery disease (HR 2.05, p=0.015), and atrial fibrillation (HR 2.35, p=0.005) were independent mortality predictors.
OSA severity measured by AHI was not associated with mortality (p=0.651).

Abstract

Objective: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is highly prevalent in older adults and is associated with hypertension and adverse cardiovascular, metabolic, and neurocognitive outcomes. However, the prognostic significance of OSA severity in the elderly remains controversial. The Apnea–Hypopnea Index (AHI) prognostic value in older patients may be attenuated due to aging-related physiological changes and a high prevalence of cardiovascular comorbidities. Increasing evidence suggests that parameters reflecting intermittent hypoxia may better represent the biological impact of OSA in this population. Design and method: We conducted a retrospective cohort study including patients aged >65 years with a diagnosis of OSA established by nocturnal cardiorespiratory monitoring between January 2015 and July 2018 at the IRCCS INRCA Respiratory Medicine Outpatients Centre. AHI, oxygen desaturation index (ODI), mean nocturnal oxygen saturation (SpO2), SpO2-nadir, mean of lowest SpO2, and the percentage of recording time spent with SpO215% showed a near-significant association (HR 1,64; p=0,052) (Fig.2). Age (HR 1,11; p<0.001), coronary artery disease (HR 2,05; p=0,015), and atrial fibrillation (HR 2,35; p=0,005) were independent predictors of mortality.Conclusions: In older patients with OSA, long-term mortality is mainly driven by cardiovascular comorbidities rather than conventional sleep apnea severity indices. Hypertension likely plays a key role as a prevalent comorbidity. Intermittent hypoxia parameters may contribute to risk stratification, warranting evaluation in larger studies.

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