COPENHAGEN – Older veterans who had sleep disturbances were at a 30% greater risk of developing dementia, according to a retrospective analysis of 200,000 medical records presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference 2014.
And having posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in addition to sleep disturbances put veterans at an 80% greater risk.
"As veterans are turning 65 and older, it’s important for us to understand who in that population is at an increased risk of developing dementia, so when we have that therapy or lifestyle intervention, we can intervene at that point," said Heather M. Snyder, Ph.D., director of medical and scientific operations at the Alzheimer’s Association. Dr. Snyder was not involved in the study.
For the study, researchers studied the records of veterans 55 years and older for 8 years. They found that almost 11% of the veterans with sleep disturbance developed dementia, compared with 9% of those without sleep disturbance, almost a 30% risk increase. The results were similar for veterans who had sleep apnea and nonapnea insomnia.
Meanwhile, researchers found no significant interaction between sleep disturbance and traumatic brain injury or PTSD, with regard to increased risk of dementia. However, veterans who had both PTSD and sleep disturbance had an 80% increased risk of developing dementia.
In a video interview, Dr. Kristine Yaffe, professor of psychiatry and neurology at the University of California, San Francisco, explains the study’s findings, shares practice pearls, and discusses the implications for younger veterans.
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