The Occurrence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Its Association With Alzheimer Dementia in Medicaid-Enrolled Adults With Down Syndrome, 2011-2019

Topic: Amyloid, tau and blood-test diagnosis

Down syndrome is a condition caused by trisomy of chromosome 21 and is the most common genetic cause of intellectual disability. Due to distinct body and facial morphology, people with Down syndrome appear to be at increased risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Additionally, adults with Down syndrome are at increased risk for Alzheimer dementia at younger ages than the general population, and OSA has been identified as a risk factor for Alzheimer dementia in the general population. This study aims to explore the prevalence of diagnosed OSA, as well as the association between OSA and Alzheimer dementia, in adults with Down syndrome using Medicaid claims data from2011 to 2019. Of 118,539 adults with Down syndrome who met inclusion criteria, 23,785 had at least one OSA claim from2011 to 2019 (20.1%, 95% CI 19.8%-20.3%). After weighting for age, sex, dual enrollment, race, ethnicity, and region, adults with Down syndrome and OSA claims had 1.08 times the hazard of having a claim for Alzheimer dementia compared to those without OSA claims (95% CI 1.05-1.10). OSA is common in adults, and our findings have clinical implications for its evaluation and treatment in those with Down syndrome.

@article{higgins2026-40903895,
  author  = {Higgins, A. and Tewolde, S. and Page, S. D. and Rubenstein, E.},
  title   = {{The Occurrence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Its Association With Alzheimer Dementia in Medicaid-Enrolled Adults With Down Syndrome, 2011-2019}},
  journal = {American journal of medical genetics. Part A},
  year    = {2026},
  doi     = {10.1002/ajmg.a.64241},
  pmid    = {40903895},
  url     = {https://doi.org/10.1002/ajmg.a.64241}
}

Key findings

• Due to distinct body and facial morphology, people with Down syndrome appear to be at increased risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
• Additionally, adults with Down syndrome are at increased risk for Alzheimer dementia at younger ages than the general population, and OSA has been identified as a risk factor for Alzheimer dementia in the general population.
• After weighting for age, sex, dual enrollment, race, ethnicity, and region, adults with Down syndrome and OSA claims had 1.08 times the hazard of having a claim for Alzheimer dementia compared to those without OSA claims (95% CI 1.05-1.10).
• OSA is common in adults, and our findings have clinical implications for its evaluation and treatment in those with Down syndrome.

Why it matters

In Medicaid claims for 118,539 adults with Down syndrome, those with obstructive sleep apnea claims had 1.08 times the hazard of an Alzheimer dementia claim compared to those without. This is an observational association and does not show that treating sleep apnea prevents dementia.

Study details

• Participants118,539
• Effect size20.1%; 19.8%; 20.3%
• Evidence strengthLow

Read the original

• DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.64241
• PubMed: 40903895
• Original source →

May need a subscription OpenAlex found no free copy of the full text (checked 6 Feb 1020), so the publisher may charge for it. The PubMed abstract is free.

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