Obstructive sleep apnea and Parkinson's disease: characteristics and associated factors

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) occurs in up to 66% of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, higher than in the general population. Although it is more prevalent, the relationship between OSA and PD remains controversial, with some studies confirming and others denying the relationship of OSA with some risk factors and symptoms in patients with PD. OBJECTIVE To determine the factors associated with OSA in PD patients com DP. METHODS A cross-sectional study was performed with 88 consecutive patients with PD from the outpatient clinic. Participants underwent clinical interviews with neurologists and a psychiatrist, assessment using standardized scales (Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and, for individuals with a diagnosis of restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease, the International Restless Legs Syndrome Rating Scale), and video-polysomnography. RESULTS Individuals with PD and OSA were older and had less insomnia than those with PD without OSA. Regarding the polysomnographic variables, we observed a lower percentage of stage N3 sleep, a higher arousal index, and a higher oxygen desaturation index in those individuals with OSA, relative to those without OSA. In the multivariate analysis, only the percentage of stage N3 sleep and the oxygen desaturation index were significantly different. Besides this, most of the PD patients with OSA had a correlation with sleeping in the supine position (58% of OSA individuals). CONCLUSION The PD patients showed a high prevalence of OSA, with the supine position exerting a significant influence on the OSA in these patients, and some factors that are associated with OSA in the general population did not seem to have a greater impact on PD patients.