Early CPAP Treatment May Lower Parkinson's Risk in Sleep Apnea Patients: Study Finds - Video

People with obstructive sleep apnea have an increased risk of Parkinson's disease, but if started early enough, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may reduce that risk, according to a preliminary study released recently, that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s 77th Annual Meeting. The study found using CPAP within two years of a sleep apnea diagnosis reduced the risk of Parkinson’s.

Obstructive sleep apnea is common and previous research has found when untreated, it is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke,” said study author Gregory D. Scott, MD, PhD, of the VA Portland Health Care System in Oregon. “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.”

For the study, researchers reviewed more than 20 years of medical records to identify nearly 1.6 million veterans who had obstructive sleep apnea and nearly 10 million veterans who did not.

Researchers then identified which participants developed Parkinson’s disease. Of those with sleep apnea, 5,284 people, or 3.4%, developed Parkinson’s disease within five years compared to 37,873 people, or 3.8% of those who did not have sleep apnea.

Researchers found similar rates among people with sleep apnea who started CPAP after two years as those who did not use CPAP, with 9.5 and 9.0 cases of Parkinson’s disease per 1,000 people respectively. However, researchers found a lower rate of Parkinson’s among those who started CPAP early, within two years of diagnosis, with 2.3 fewer cases per 1,000 people when compared to people who did not use CPAP.

“It is encouraging to know that while obstructive sleep apnea may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, treating it right away with CPAP may reduce that risk,” said Scott. “Future studies are needed to follow people more closely after receiving a sleep apnea diagnosis and over longer periods of time.”

Ref: American Academy of Neurology’s 77th Annual Meeting