• People with Obstructive Sleep Apnea May have a Higher Risk of Developing Parkinson’s Disease, But Early use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Therapy Could Help Lower That Risk.
  • A Large-Scale Study of Veterans Found That Thue Who Began CPAP Treatment Within 2 Years of Their Diagnosis Had Fewer Cases of Parkinson’s Compared to Those Who Delay or Did Not Use The Therapy.
  • The Findings, Which Will Be present at the American Academy of Neurology’s 77th Annual Meeting, Highlight the Potential Benefits of Early Intervention for Sleep Apnea Patients.

In This New Preliminary Study, Suggest that individuals with obstructive Sleep Apnea Face a Higher Risk of Developing Parkinson’s Disease.

However, Early use of Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Therapy May Help reduces This Risk.

The Findings, set to be present at the American Academy of Neurology’s 77th Annual Meeting – Between April 5–9, 2025, in San Diego and Online – Indicate That Starting CPAP Within 2 Years of A Sleep Apnea Diagnosis Lowers The Likelihood of Developing Parkinson’s.

This Research has not Yet Undergone to Peer-Review Process or Appeared in Print.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Cpap Therapy

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Oscurs When Throat Muscles Relax During Sleep, Blocking The Airway and Causing Repeatd Awakenings to Restore Breathing. This Disruption Can Reduces Oxygen Levels and Impact Brain Function.

CPAP THERAPY DELIVERS Pressurised Air Through A Mask, Keeping The Airway Open Throunge Sleep.

The Refectchers Point Out That Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a Common Condition, and Previous Studies have Linked Untreated Cases to a Higher Risk of Heart Attacks and Strokes.

The Latest Findings suggest an increased Likelihood of Developing Parkinson’s Disease, but the authors emphasize that Early Intervention with Cpap Therapy Could Help Help Mitigate This Risk.

What is the link Between Sleep Apnea and Parkinson’s Disease?

To investigate Further, The Research Team Analyzed Over 2 Decades of Medical Records, Comparing Nearly 1.6 Million Veterans Diagnosed With Obstructive Sleep Apnea to control Group of Almost 10 Million Veterans Without the Condition.

They Then examined Which participants went on to develop parkinson’s disease.

OUT OF THOSE WITH SLEEP APNEA, 5,284 PEOPLE (3.4%) WER DIAGNOSED WITH PARKINSON’S WITHIN 5 YEARS. In Comparison, 37,873 People (3.8%) in the Group Without Sleep Apnea pray to Parkinson’s Diagnosis in the Same Journal.

However, The Researchers Warned That these Numbers might be affected by Other Factors, Such As Age, Smoking History, and Differences in How Long People Lived In Each Group.

Can CPap Therapy Protect Against Parkinson’s?

To refine their analysis, Researchers Assed Parkinson’s Disease Rates 5 Years after Sleep Apnea Diagnosis.

AFTER ACCOUNTING FOR VARIABLES AGE AGE, SEX, AND HEALTH FACTORS Like Smoking, They Found That People With Sleep Apnea Experienced 1.8 Additional Cases of Parkinson’s per 1,000 individuals share to 198 Without the condition.

Among the participants With Sleep Apnea, 10% had documed cpap use.

In individuals were Further Classified into Two Groups – Those Who Started Using A CPAP Machine Within 2 Years of Their Diagnosis and Those Who Began Treatment Later.

The Refers Observed That Individuals Who Began CPAP Treatment More than Two Years After Their Sleep Apnea Diagnosis Had Similar Parkinson’s Disease Rates to Those Who Did Not Use CPap At All, With 9.5 and 9 Cases Per 1,000 People, respectively.

However, Those Who Initiedated CPap Therapy Within Two Years of Diagnosis Showed A Reded Risk, With 2.3 Fewer Cases Per 1,000 People Compared to Those Who Did Not Use CPap.

The Emphasized the Need for Future Research to Track To Track More Closely After Diagnosis and Over Extended periods to Better Understand the Long-Term Impact.

One Limitation of the Study Was The Disability to Confirm Whether Participants Adhered to prescribed CPAP USE, As only device Ownership was documed.

Two experts, not involved in This Research, Spoke To Medical News Today.

Michael Thorpy, MB, CHB, Professor of Neurology at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Director of the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center AT Montefiore, Said That “Sleep Apnea is a disorder that is associated with severe medical Metabolic Disturbances. “

“This abstract suggests that Sleep Apnea Can Be Associated With Neuronal Changes That Are Associated with Parkinsans Disease. This Research Suggests that Early Treatment by CPAP May reduces the risk of revealing pd, ”I have poined out.

“This Study Adds to the Evidence That Sleep Apnea is a Major Risk Factor for MANY Medical and Neurological Disorders and That Early Treatment May Mitigate The Development of these disorders. This Reinforces The Importance of Early Recognition and Treatment of Sleep Apnea. ”

– Michael Thorpy, MB, CHB

Further Research Needed to Confirm Findings

Thorpy Added That “Further Research is necessary to confirm the Findings, and to Understand Why Parkinson Neuropathology, Such As Substantia Nigra DeGeneration, Might Be precipitated by The Pathological Consecquences of Sleep Apnea.”

HE NOTIED THAT:

“Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) CHANGES IN BOY GRAY AND WHITE MATTER HAEN BEEN detected in patients With Sleep Apnea, But Whether incese changes are Associated with the Substantia Nigra Needs Further Study. Sleep Apnea Animal Models Might Be Able to Answer Sub of Tohese Questions. “

Daniel Truong, MD, A Neurologist and the Medical Director of the Truong Neuroscience Institute at Memorialcare Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA, Editor in Chief of The Journal of Clinical Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, awd MNT That “This Study Provides Comppelling Evidence Regarding The Association Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Parkinson’s Disease, Highlighting The Potential of Cpap Therapy to Mitigate This Risk When Initiedated Early.”

“The Findings Suggest that Addressing Osa Not Only Improves Sleep Quality But May Also Serve As a Preventive Measure Against The Development of PD and Related Conditions,” Truong Explained.

In Addition, “The Use of A Large Dataset from the va enhances The Reliability and Applicability of the Results, Making It A Valuable Contribution to The Field of Neurology and Sleep Medicine.”