New Delhi, March 3 People with obstructive sleep apnoea have an increased risk of suffering from Parkinson's disease, according to a study.
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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