Certain Parkinson Disease Symptoms Improved With OSA Treatment

Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is associated with improved non-motor symptoms, sleep quality, anxiety, and cognitive function in patients with Parkinson disease (PD), according to a recent study.

Non-motor symptoms of PD have been shown to be associated with sleep disorders and impaired quality of life. To explore this issue, researchers conducted a prospective, observational study involving 67 patients with idiopathic PD who underwent polysomnography. Those with moderate to severe OSA were offered CPAP therapy, and participants were dividing based on OSA status.
______________________________________________________________________________________

RELATED CONTENT
Parkinson: MCI Test May Hint at Prognosis
Could Anti-TNF Therapy Lower Parkinson Disease Risk?
______________________________________________________________________________________

For the 6-month analysis, CPAP users were considered those who used CPAP at home for at least 1 month. For the 12-month analysis, only those still actively using CPAP were included in the CPAP group.

Non-motor symptoms were measured using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part 1 (UPDRS1), Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS), Fatigue Severity Scale, Apathy Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

At 6 months, 30 patients were categorized as OSA+CPAP+, 11 OSA+CPAP-, and 18 OSA-. At 12 months, 21 were categorized as OSA+CPAP+, 21 OSA+CPAP-, and 17 OSA-.

Overall, UPDRS1 and PDSS improved from baseline in OSA+CPAP+ at 6 months and 12 months, but not in other groups. The MoCA and HADS-A improved in OSA+CPAP+ at 12 months, and MoCA improved in those with low baseline MoCA and those with REM sleep behavior disorder.

“CPAP treatment of OSA in PD is associated with improved overall non-motor symptoms, sleep quality, anxiety, and global cognitive function over a 12-month period,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Kaminska M, Mery VP, Lafontaine AL, et al. Change in cognition and other non-motor symptoms with obstructive sleep apnea treatment in Parkinson disease [published online April 30, 2018]. J Clin Sleep Med. pii: jc-17-00563.

Interested in Parkinson Disease Treatment? Watch this video>>