Evaluation of Sleep Disorders in Parkinson’s Disease: A Comparison between Physician Diagnosis and Self-Administered Questionnaires
Sontaya Jongwanasiri MD*, Naraporn Prayoonwiwat MD*, Apichart Pisarnpong MD*, Prachaya Srivanitchapoom MD*, Wattanachai Chotinaiwattarakul MD*
Affiliation : * Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand
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 cross-
sectional 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.
Keywords : Sleep disorder, Sleep questionnaire, Parkinson’s disease
