A groundbreaking study from the VA Portland Health Care System reveals a significant connection between obstructive sleep apnoea and Parkinson's disease risk. Researchers discovered 1.8 more Parkinson's cases per 1,000 people with sleep apnoea compared to those without the condition. Encouragingly, using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) within two years of diagnosis can potentially reduce this risk. The findings offer hope for early intervention and management of neurological health.
March 04, 2025
Sleep apnoea can raise risk of Parkinson's disease: Study
"While
our study found an increased risk of Parkinson's disease, the good news is
people can do something about it" - Gregory D. Scott, VA Institute
Sleep
apnoea can raise risk of Parkinson's disease: Study
People with obstructive sleep apnoea have an increased risk of
suffering from Parkinson's disease, according to a study.
Key
Points
1
Sleep apnoea linked to higher Parkinson's disease risk
2
CPAP treatment may reduce neurological disease occurrence
3
Study tracked 1.6 million older adults
4
Research presented at American Academy of Neurology meeting
Obstructive
sleep apnoea is when throat muscles relax during sleep, blocking the airway,
causing a person to wake up repeatedly to breathe. This disrupted sleep pattern
can lower oxygen levels, affecting the brain.
Researchers
from the VA Portland Health Care System in Oregon, US looked at rates of
Parkinson's disease five years after a sleep apnoea diagnosis. They reviewed
more than 20 years of medical records to identify nearly 1.6 million older
adults who had obstructive sleep apnoea.
After
adjusting for age, sex, and health factors such as smoking, they found among
people with sleep apnoea, there were 1.8 more cases of Parkinson's disease per
1,000 people compared to people without sleep apnoea.
Parkinson's
is a chronic and progressive neurodegenerative disease. Sleep disorders are one
of the most common non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's patients.
Notably,
the study showed that using continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may help
reduce the risk. With CPAP, pressurised air is delivered through a mask to keep
the airway open while a person sleeps.
The
study found using CPAP within two years of a sleep apnoea diagnosis reduced the
risk of Parkinson's -- 2.3 fewer cases per 1,000 people when compared to people
who did not use CPAP.
"Obstructive
sleep apnoea is common, and previous research has found that when untreated, it
is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke," said
Gregory D. Scott, of the VA Institute.
"While
our study found an increased risk of Parkinson's disease, the good news is
people can do something about it by using CPAP as soon as they are diagnosed
with the sleep disorder," he added.
The
findings will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 77th Annual
Meeting scheduled to take place from April 5-9 in San Diego, US.
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