Evaluation of sleep disorders in Parkinson's disease: A comparison between physician diagnosis and self-administered questionnaires

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the present study was to compare a physician's diagnosis of sleep disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) during clinical evaluation of sleep disorders diagnosed by validated questionnaires. Material and Method: Patients with PD at the Parkinson's clinic at Siriraj Hospital were included in this prospective crosssectional study. Patients completed the Modified Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale (MPDSS), Thai Epworth Sleepiness Scale (Thai-ESS), Scales for Outcomes in Parkinson's Disease-Sleep Scalequestionnaire (SCOPA), Berlin questionnaire (Thai version), and Siriraj sleep questionnaire (SSQ). Thereafter, attending physicians diagnosed sleep disorders based on patient evaluation. Results: One hundred twenty patients with PD participated in the present study. Among them, 73 (60.8%) were males, the mean age was 61.5±12.0 years, and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 22.7±3.5 kg/m2 (BMI ≥30 kg/m2 in 1.7% of patients). The study demonstrated a prevalence of overall sleep disorders in 59.2% of patients based on physician diagnosis and 81.7% of patients based on the MPDSS questionnaire. The ESS was >10 in 29.2% of the patients. High risk for obstructive sleep apnea was observed in 28.3% (Berlin) and 42% (MPDSS) of patients (15% by both). SSQ detected all sleep disorders in 86.7% of the population, and its results correlated with the MPDSS. Conclusion: Sleep disorders are common in patients with PD but remain underestimated because they are not routinely screened in clinical practice. This study demonstrates the use of validated questionnaires to efficiently detect and classify patients with PD at risk for common sleep disorders.