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Sleep-disordered breathing, hypoxia, and risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older women
Yaffe K, Laffan AM, Harrison SL, Redline S, Spira AP, Ensrud KE, Ancoli-Israel S, Stone KL.. JAMA, 2011-08-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Results Compared with the 193 women without sleep-disordered breathing, the 105 women (35.2%) with sleep-disordered breathing were more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment or dementia (31.1% [n = 60] vs 44.8% [n = 47]; adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-3.08). Elevated oxygen desaturation index (≥15 events/hour) and high percentage of sleep time (>7%) in apnea or hypopnea (both measures of disordered breathing) were associated with risk of developing mild cognitive impairment or dementia (AOR, 1.71 [95% CI, 1.04-2.83] and AOR, 2.04 [95% CI, 1.10-3.78], respectively). Measures of sleep fragmentation (arousal index and wake after sleep onset) or sleep duration (total sleep time) were not associated with risk of cognitive impairment. Conclusion Among older women, those with sleep-disordered breathing compared with those without sleep-disordered breathing had an increased risk of developing cognitive impairment.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Yaffe, K., Laffan, A. M., Harrison, S. L., Redline, S., Spira, A. P., Ensrud, K. E., et al. (2011). Sleep-disordered breathing, hypoxia, and risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older women. JAMA. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2011.1115
Vancouver
Yaffe K, Laffan AM, Harrison SL, Redline S, Spira AP, Ensrud KE, et al. Sleep-disordered breathing, hypoxia, and risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older women. JAMA. 2011. doi:10.1001/jama.2011.1115. PMID: 21828324.
BibTeX
@article{yaffe2011-21828324,
author = {Yaffe, K. and Laffan, A. M. and Harrison, S. L. and Redline, S. and Spira, A. P. and Ensrud, K. E. and Ancoli-Israel, S. and Stone, K. L.},
title = {{Sleep-disordered breathing, hypoxia, and risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older women}},
journal = {JAMA},
year = {2011},
doi = {10.1001/jama.2011.1115},
pmid = {21828324},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2011.1115}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 8 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Results Compared with the 193 women without sleep-disordered breathing, the 105 women (35.2%) with sleep-disordered breathing were more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment or dementia (31.1% [n = 60] vs 44.8% [n = 47]; adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 1.85; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.11-3.08).
- Elevated oxygen desaturation index (≥15 events/hour) and high percentage of sleep time (>7%) in apnea or hypopnea (both measures of disordered breathing) were associated with risk of developing mild cognitive impairment or dementia (AOR, 1.71 [95% CI, 1.04-2.83] and AOR, 2.04 [95% CI, 1.10-3.78], respectively).
- Measures of sleep fragmentation (arousal index and wake after sleep onset) or sleep duration (total sleep time) were not associated with risk of cognitive impairment.
- Conclusion Among older women, those with sleep-disordered breathing compared with those without sleep-disordered breathing had an increased risk of developing cognitive impairment.
Why it matters
In a group of 298 older women, the 105 with sleep-disordered breathing went on to develop mild cognitive impairment or dementia more often than the 193 without it (44.8% vs 31.1%; adjusted odds ratio 1.85). Frequent drops in blood oxygen during sleep and more sleep time spent in apnea or hypopnea were also linked to higher risk, but broken sleep and total sleep time were not. This is an association in women only; the study did not test whether treating sleep-disordered breathing lowers that risk.
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Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants60
- Effect size35.2%; 31.1%; 44.8%
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 71/100
Published in a top-tier journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for randomized / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 10 / 10 | Tier 1 — top-tier general journal (JAMA) |
| Journal's citation record | 4 / 4 | JAMA: journal h-index 1,011 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2011 — within 20 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 1 / 4 | 60 participants |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomized / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomization or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 7 / 7 | Cited 1,116 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 5 / 5 | 65.6 citations a year over 17 year(s) since 2011 |
| Impact for its field and year | 5 / 6 | Cited 33.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 4 / 6 | Cited by 47 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 198 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Katie L. Stone: h-index 100 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 3 / 3 | Harvard University: institution h-index 3,235 (OpenAlex) |
| Multicenter collaboration | 2 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 6 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 21828324) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 71 / 100 | — |
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