The elderly population in the United States is growing rapidly, presenting increasing challenges in health care provision. One of the most salient and complex issues facing the elderly is cognitive impairment. This condition often leads to dementia and has a significant quality of life and financial impact. One of the most common and preventable causes of cognitive decline is heart disease, specifically atherosclerotic vascular disease (AVD). This condition is related to myriad health risk factors and conditions, including sleep disorders. The current study examined 51 adults between the ages of 55 and 88 with a diagnosis of AVD. Participants were divided into sleep disordered (N = 20) and non sleep disordered (N =31) groups and compared in terms of fatigue, performance on neuropsychological testing, and a marker of inflammatory pathology. Participants with sleep disorders and AVD reported significantly greater levels of daytime fatigue and performed significantly more poorly on objective cognitive testing than those with AVD alone. Implications for the relationship of disordered sleep, AVD, and cognition as well as future research directions are discussed.
Dissertation
Sleep disorders and cognition in older adults with cardiovascular disease
University of Iowa
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
Summer 2010
DOI: 10.17077/etd.wxinowih
Free to read and download, Open Access
Abstract
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Sleep disorders and cognition in older adults with cardiovascular disease
- Creators
- Clare Thomson Humphreys - University of Iowa
- Contributors
- John Westefeld (Advisor)David J. Moser (Advisor)Elizabeth Altmaier (Committee Member)Sam Cochran (Committee Member)Timothy Ansley (Committee Member)
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Iowa
- Degree in
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
- Date degree season
- Summer 2010
- Publisher
- University of Iowa
- DOI
- 10.17077/etd.wxinowih
- Number of pages
- v, 106 pages
- Copyright
- Copyright 2010 Clare Thomson Humphreys
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Quantitative Foundations
- Record Identifier
- 9983777209102771
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