Background-Aim. Although sleep disturbance is a common complaint among patients of all ages, research suggests that older adults are particularly vulnerable. The aim of this retrospective study was to elucidate the influence of age on clinical characteristics and polysomnographic findings of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) between elderly and younger male patients in a Greek population. Methods. 697 male patients with OSAS were examined from December 2001 to August 2011. All subjects underwent an attended overnight polysomnography (PSG). They were divided into two groups: young and middle-aged (<65 years old) and elderly (≥65 years old). We evaluated the severity of OSAS, based on apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and the duration of apnea-hypopnea events, the duration of hypoxemia during total sleep time (TST) and during REM and NREM sleep, and the oxygen saturation in REM and in NREM sleep. Results. PSG studies showed that elderly group had significant higher duration of apnea-hypopnea events, longer hypoxemia in TST and in NREM sleep, as well as lower oxygen saturation in REM and NREM sleep than the younger group. Otherwise, significant correlation between BMI and neck circumference with AHI was observed in both groups. Conclusions. The higher percentages of hypoxemia during sleep and longer duration of apnea-hypopnea events that were observed in the elderly group might be explained by increased propensity for pharyngeal collapse and increased deposition of parapharyngeal fat, which are associated with aging. Another factor that could explain these findings might be a decreased partial arterial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) due to age-related changes in the respiratory system. 1. Introduction Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a highly prevalent disorder characterized by instability of the upper airway during sleep, which results in markedly reduced (hypopnea) or absent (apnea) airflow at the nose/mouth [1]. Episodes are typically accompanied by oxyhemoglobin desaturation and terminated by brief microarousals that result in sleep fragmentation [2]. Patients usually present with loud habitual snoring, witnessed apnea, and excessive daytime sleepiness [1]. Several physical and psychological changes are known to occur with normal aging. It is well known that there are differences of OSAS regarding the elderly [3]. Aging is associated with several well-described changes in patterns of sleep. Although sleep disturbance is a common complaint among patients of all ages, research suggests that older adults are particularly vulnerable [3]. Studies about
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