Aims:

To identify how obstructive sleep apnea affects the quality of life of the elderly.

Methods:

Systematic review of the different studies that treat sleep apnea in the elderly, and how it affects their quality of life. This review includes cases and controls, cohort studies, clinical trials and observational studies published from 2014 to 2019.

Results:

Nearly 400 articles were reviewed, of which only 16 were part of the review, after accurately meeting all established inclusion criteria. There is a large disparity between the results found; however, the quality of life of older people with obstructive sleep apnea improves with the use of CPAP (continuous positive air pressure).

Conclusions:

More research is needed to study obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in the elderly; most of the studies found focus on children or adults. Among the few studies that focus on studying the quality of life of older people with obstructive sleep apnea, there is a disparity in their results, with no firm conclusions. This is a priority health issue, due to the ageing population and the increasing prevalence of this syndrome.

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