Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42836238›Full record

ArticleAdvances in geriatric medicine and research2026

Individualized Treatment Approaches for Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Older Adults: Beyond Continuous Positive Airway Pressure.

Nikhil Jaganathan, Varun Goel, Xiaoyue Liu, Wenzhan Song, Younghoon Kwon, Jeongok Logan, William J Healy

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Advances in geriatric medicine and research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Nikhil JaganathanMedical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
Varun GoelMedical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, GA 30912, USA.
Xiaoyue LiuRory Meyers College of Nursing, New York University, New York, NY 10010, USA.
Wenzhan SongCollege of Engineering, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602, USA.
Younghoon KwonDivision of Cardiology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.
Jeongok LoganSchool of Nursing, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA.
William J HealyDivision of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University; Augusta, GA 30912, USA.

Funding

Sleep Apnea-Specific Nocturnal Blood Pressure Surge to Determine Cardiovascular Risks and Therapeutic Benefits in Patients with Obstructive Sleep ApneaR01HL158765 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI KWON, YOUNGHOON · 2021 to 2025
$3.5M
SCH: Contactless and Engagement-free Sleep Apnea Monitoring and CharacterizationR01HL172291 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA · PI Yuan Ke, BRADLEY GEORGE PHILLIPS · 2023 to 2026
$1.2M
Deep learning of awake and sleep electrocardiography to identify atrial fibrillation risk in sleep apneaR21HL167126 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · PI AKBILGIC, OGUZ, AZARBARZIN, ALI · 2023 to 2024
$202k
NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL158765NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL172291NHLBI NIH HHS R21 HL167126
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

With an aging population and greater prevalence of metabolic disorders, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is increasingly observed in older patients. OSA in older adults often occurs in the setting of various comorbidities, such as cognitive, cardiac, and metabolic dysfunction, placing these patients at greater risk. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the first-line treatment for OSA in most patients, but adherence with CPAP decreases with increasing age. Current literature on considerations and efficacy of treatment modalities for OSA in older patients is limited. This narrative review summarizes current evidence on CPAP and non-CPAP therapies of OSA in older adults with particular attention to age-specific differences in clinical presentation, diagnostic challenges, and implications for quality of life. Relevant guidelines, clinical studies, and systematic reviews selected from the PubMed and Cochrane databases through April 2026 were summarized and categorized based on type of therapy. Some non-CPAP alternatives appear promising or effective in selected adults for improving metrics of sleep, quality of life, and mitigating comorbidities, but for geriatric-specific comparative evidence remains limited, indirect, observational, or derived from adults substantially younger than the target population. Lifestyle modifications, positional therapy, and oral appliances may yield benefits in older patients comparable to those seen in their younger counterparts, but age-stratified studies are limited. While pharmacotherapy is an area of emerging study, GLP-1 RAs show significant early potential with multifaceted benefits, although supporting studies have been primarily conducted in middle-aged adults. Hypoglossal nerve stimulation has emerged as a prominent OSA treatment alternative with improved adherence compared to CPAP in in small elderly-specific studies. OSA management in older patients is highly nuanced with multifactorial consideration of polypharmacy, comorbidities, and patient preferences to optimize patient outcomes. Larger-scale, prospective studies specific to older patients are warranted to assess treatment efficacy, adherence, and adverse effects in this population.

Indexed as

continuous positive airway pressurehypoglossal nerve stimulationmandibular advancement devicesobstructive sleep apneapharmacotherapy, glucagon-like peptide-1 agonistspositional therapy

Identifiers

PMID42836238
PMCPMC13638223

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.