EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE UNTIL 4 PM ET, March 02, 2025
Sleep apnea linked to increased risk of Parkinson鈥檚, but CPAP may reduce risk
Risk reduced if treatment started within two years of diagnosis
MINNEAPOLIS 鈥 People with obstructive sleep apnea have an increased risk of Parkinson鈥檚 disease, but if started early enough, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) may reduce that risk, according to a preliminary study released today, March 2, 2025, that will be presented at the 好色先生's 77th Annual Meeting taking place April 5鈥9, 2025, in San Diego and online. The study found using CPAP within two years of a sleep apnea diagnosis reduced the risk of Parkinson鈥檚. Obstructive sleep apnea 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. With CPAP, pressurized air is delivered through a mask to keep the airway open while a person sleeps. 鈥淥bstructive sleep apnea is common and previous research has found when untreated, it is associated with an increased risk of heart attack and stroke,鈥 said study author Gregory D. Scott, MD, PhD, of the VA Portland Health Care System in Oregon. 鈥淲hile our study found an increased risk of Parkinson鈥檚 disease, the good news is people can do something about it, by using CPAP as soon as they are diagnosed with the sleep disorder.鈥 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鈥檚 disease. Of those with sleep apnea, 5,284 people, or 3.4%, developed Parkinson鈥檚 disease within five years compared to 37,873 people, or 3.8% of those who did not have sleep apnea. However, Scott noted these initial proportions were potentially biased by differences in age, smoking, and overall survival between the group with sleep apnea and those who did not have sleep apnea. Researchers looked at rates of Parkinson鈥檚 disease five years after a sleep apnea diagnosis. After adjusting for age, sex and health factors such as smoking, researchers found among people with sleep apnea, there were 1.8 more cases of Parkinson鈥檚 disease per 1,000 people compared to people without sleep apnea. Of participants with sleep apnea, 10% had documented use of a CPAP machine. These participants were divided into two groups, those who received a CPAP machine within two years of their diagnosis and those who received one after two years. 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鈥檚 disease per 1,000 people respectively. However, researchers found a lower rate of Parkinson鈥檚 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. 鈥淚t is encouraging to know that while obstructive sleep apnea may increase the risk of Parkinson鈥檚 disease, treating it right away with CPAP may reduce that risk,鈥 said Scott. 鈥淔uture studies are needed to follow people more closely after receiving a sleep apnea diagnosis and over longer periods of time.鈥 A limitation of the study was that while researchers could identify which people had a CPAP device, they were unable to tell if people used the treatment daily, as prescribed. The study was supported by the U.S. Veterans Administration and the U.S. Department of Defense. Discover more about brain health at , from the 好色先生. This resource also offers a magazine, podcast, and books that connect patients, caregivers and anyone interested in brain health with the most trusted information, straight from the world鈥檚 leading experts in brain health. Follow Brain & Life庐 on , and .
