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Sleep Disturbances and Phenoconversion in Patients with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
Hyunjin Jo1, Dongyeop Kim1, Jooyeon Song1
1Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, School of Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul 06351, Korea.
Journal of Clinical Medicine
|October 23, 2021
Summary
Eight percent of patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) converted to neurodegenerative diseases within 2.5 years. Sleep study results did not predict conversion, but continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may help RBD symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Sleep Medicine
- Neurodegenerative Diseases
Background:
- REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is linked to future neurodegenerative diseases.
- Understanding sleep disturbances in RBD is crucial for predicting phenoconversion.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between sleep disturbances and phenoconversion to neurodegenerative diseases in patients with RBD.
- To identify predictors of phenoconversion in idiopathic RBD (iRBD).
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of 226 RBD patients (182 iRBD, 44 symptomatic RBD) from a sleep database (2014-2021).
- Assessment of sleep disturbances including periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- Follow-up of iRBD patients to determine phenoconversion rates to neurodegenerative diseases.
Main Results:
- 8.0% of iRBD patients phenoconverted to neurodegenerative diseases within a mean follow-up of 2.5 years.
- Nearly half of RBD patients had significant PLMS (49.1%) or OSA (48.7%).
- No significant difference in baseline characteristics between converters and non-converters; polysomnographic parameters did not predict phenoconversion.
- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) improved dream enactment behaviors in RBD patients with OSA.
Conclusions:
- Phenoconversion to neurodegenerative diseases occurred in 8.0% of iRBD patients within 2.5 years.
- Polysomnographic findings at baseline did not predict phenoconversion.
- Sleep disorders like OSA and PLMS are common in RBD patients; CPAP may benefit symptoms in RBD-OSA.
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