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OBJECTIVES: To investigate the relationship between sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and nocturia episodes in community-dwelling older adults.

DESIGN: A cross-sectional study.

SETTING: Community.

PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling older adults (N = 72) recruited from independent living facilities and adult learning centers in Atlanta, Georgia.

MEASUREMENTS: Three-day voiding diary, ambulatory sleep recording, focused physical examination, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and Geriatric Depression Scale.

RESULTS: Fifty-eight of the 72 subjects completed the study. The mean age /-standard deviation was 77.7 /-6.7; 44 (76%) were female. Of the 58 subjects, 26 (45%) had an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of less than 10 per hour of sleep, 21 (36%) had an AHI between 10 and 24 per hour sleep, and 11 (19%) had an AHI of 25 or higher per hour of sleep. The mean nocturia episodes were 1.7 /-1.1, 1.6 /-0.9, and 2.6 /-1.4 for subjects in these groups, respectively (F = 3.82; P = .028). Those with an AHI of 25 or higher had more nocturia episodes, higher mean arterial blood pressure, and higher body mass index than those with a lower AHI.

CONCLUSION: These results suggest that older adults with severe SDB have a greater number of nocturia episodes. These findings underscore the importance of considering SDB as a differential diagnosis in the evaluation of older patients with nocturia.

(C) 2004 by the American Geriatrics Society