Obstructive sleep apnea and age: a double insult to brain function?
These results suggest that the presence of both sleep apnea and increasing age overwhelmed the brain's capacity to respond to cognitive challenges with compensatory recruitment and to maintain performance. The findings that sleep apnea impairs performance and brain function at a younger age than what might ordinarily be expected underscore the importance of early diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea.
Impaired phagocytosis activity of peripheral blood leukocytes may have a systemic effect and potentially contribute to smoking-associated diseases such as pneumonia and lung cancer.