New Research Suggests That People With A Sleep Disorder Have A Higher Risk Of Developing Dementia - Alzheimer's Society Comment

Main Category: Sleep / Sleep Disorders / Insomnia
Also Included In: Alzheimer's / Dementia;  Neurology / Neuroscience
Article Date: 30 Jul 2010 - 1:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

People who experience rapid eye movement sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) may go on to develop conditions such as dementia with Lewy bodies, Parkinson's disease, or multiple system atrophy.

The researchers studied the medical records of 27 people with these three neurodegenerative conditions who had also experienced RBD earlier in life. Thestudy, published in the online issue of Neurology, found that 63% of people who experienced RBD developed dementia with Lewy bodies or Parkinson's disease in later life. In some cases the disorder was detected up to 50 years before the neurodegenerative condition developed.

Previous research has identified a link between sleep disorder and Lewy body dementia, a rare form of dementia, which composes 4% of all dementia cases in the UK. It is characterised by certain symptoms that are also present in people with both Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's Society comment:

'This study suggests that people with Lewy body dementia may experience sleep disorders up to half a century before their dementia symptoms develop. This research improves our understanding of how Lewy body dementia develops and how it might be linked to sleep disorders early in life. However we don't yet understand why this correlation exists, and given the small sample size of this study, more research is needed.'

'One in three people over 65 will die with dementia, therefore we need more research and more funding if we are to defeat this devastating condition.'

'The link between sleep disorder and dementia is not yet conclusive, however we do know that lifestyle factors play an important part in reducing our risk of dementia. Eating a healthy diet and doing regular exercise could reduce the risk of developing dementia by up to 60 per cent.'

Ruth Sutherland
Acting Chief Executive

Reference:

D.O. Claassen, MD, et al. REM sleep behavior disorder preceding other aspects of synucleinopathies by up to half a century. Online version of Neurology, 28 July 2010.

Source:
Alzheimer's Society

• Additional
• References
• Citations