Walking the fine line between OSA and aging

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is the most common sleep- related breathing disorder. In recent years, evidence have shown that patients with OSA may have this disorder for different reasons, with different symptoms and comorbidities. Therefore, treatment should be individualized [1]. This has led to a growing interest in the characterization of the disease into phenotypes. OSA in elderly patients is often a challenge for clinician in terms of diagnosis, as symptoms may be masked, but also for treatment in terms of efficacy and adherence. However, aging is a pathophysiological factor that predisposes to obstructive sleep apnea, and the two conditions share symptoms and comorbidities to such an extent that it becomes very difficult to establish a casual link between the two. We summarize the recent evidence in OSA elderly patients, particularly in terms of pathophysiology, symptoms and main comorbidities.