Add one more damaging consequence of sleep apnea to the list: New research suggests it's related to late-life epilepsy.The condition might be related to underlying heart or brain illnesses, noted study co-author Dr. Rebecca Gottesman, chief of the Stroke Branch at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke .
Links between sleep apnea and poor brain health have long been observed, but ties between apnea and epilepsy specifically are still "not well understood," she added. The link between epilepsy and the breathing disorders of sleep apnea was strong: "People whose oxygen saturation fell below 80% during sleep, a condition known as nocturnal hypoxia, were three times more likely to develop late-onset epilepsy compared to those who did not have similarly low oxygen levels," the NIH noted.
The study suggests that late-onset epilepsy might join other brain conditions, such as stroke and dementia, that appear to be more common among people with sleep apnea, the researchers said.The study was not designed to answer that question, but it's an intriguing thought, said lead author Dr. Christopher Carosella.
Oxygen Saturation Epilepsy Late-Life After Age 60
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