Iranian Journal of Rehabilitation Research in Nursing

Introduction: Hypertension is one of the most common diseases of elderly that increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, renal failure, pulmonary problems and many other diseases. Obstructive sleep apnea is a condition that may be associated with high blood pressure in the elders. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between obstructive sleep apnea and hypertension in community dwelling elders in Saghez-Iran. Methods: This cross sectional study was conducted on 175 community dwelling elders using multi stage (cluster sampling and then convenient sampling method). Obstructive sleep apnea was assessed using Berlin questionnaire which completed via face to face interview with the elders. Blood pressure was measured by a competent nurse with sphygmomanometer. Data were analyzed by SPSS (version18) Statistical software and using descriptive statistics, independent t-test, Mann-Whitney-U and Chi-square tests. Results: The mean age of elders in the study was 68.5±7.5 years. 33 (53.2%) of hypertensive elders and 16 (14/2%) normotensive elders were at high risk for sleep apnea. The results of this study showed that there was a significant correlation between sleep apnea and hypertension and risk of sleep apnea in hypertensive elderly was 6.9 times of those with normal blood pressure (OR=6.9, CI 95%= 3.3-14.3, p<0.001). Conclusion: given the high frequency of sleep apnea and its correlation with high blood pressures in the elderly, screening procedures to identify hypertensive people at high risk for obstructive sleep apnea seems necessary.