Hiroshi Kakuta, MD, Michio Yamaguchi, PT, Kazuyoshi Sugawara, PT, Naomi Kuge, PT, PhD,
Hirofumi Imai, MD, Akira Rikimaru, MD, PhD, Hironao Yokomichi, MD, PhD,
Takashi Sakamoto, MD, Ken Sugiyama, MD, PhD, Shin-Ichi Izumi, MD, PhD,
Michio Hongo, MD, PhD
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 8: 77-81, 2017
Objective: Sleep disorders interfere with activities of
daily living (ADL) in elderly individuals. In Japan, at
least 3 million people are estimated to have sleep apnea
syndrome (SAS), and many potential patients are yet to
be diagnosed and treated. In women, the incidence of
SAS increases 2-4 fold after menopause due to reduced
hormone levels. In addition, women rarely present with
typical symptoms of SAS, such as daytime sleepiness
and snoring, and thus they are not screened for SAS as
often as men. This study aimed to evaluate the utility of
continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP) to
improve ADL.
Methods: This report describes an elderly woman
with dementia, depression, and angina who developed
disuse syndrome after surgery for subtrochanteric
fracture of the left femur, and was treated with CPAP
and other general measures.
Results: The patient showed progressive improvement
in ADL by the simplification of medications, management
of general health, diagnosis of SAS, and incorporation
of CPAP therapy following convalescent rehabilitation.
Conclusion: Activities of daily living can be improved
in orthopedic patients with SAS by using CPAP and
other general lifestyle measures.
Key words: convalescent rehabilitation, sleep apnea syndrome, continuous positive airway pressure therapy, subtrochanteric femur fracture, postoperative disuse syndrome