Researchers look for link between sleep apnea and mood disorders

Researchers look for link between sleep apnea and mood disorders

PanARMENIAN.Net - Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been linked with several health conditions including hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes.1,2 Researchers set out to determine whether the syndrome might also increase the risk for mood disorders, including depression and anxiety, reports Pulmonology Advisor.

The researchers examined 197 patients with OSA diagnosed between 2004 and 2006 and 788 people without the condition matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic and health characteristics. None of the participants, selected from the Korea National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort (NHIS-NSC), had been diagnosed with depressive or anxiety disorders before the first diagnosis of OSA.3

The investigators found that people with OSA were nearly 3 times as likely to be diagnosed with depression, and nearly twice as likely to be diagnosed with anxiety as those in the control group. Of the cohort, women with OSA were more likely to develop depressive and anxiety disorders than men with OSA. Positive airway pressure and oral appliances used to treat OSA were not covered under the Korea NHIS-NSC, therefore the investigators were unable to determine if patients undergoing these therapies had a lower incidence of affective disorders.3

The researchers concluded that OSA is associated with an increased risk for mood disorders, specifically depression and anxiety. They cautioned that further studies are needed to confirm their findings and explore possible underlying mechanisms, including potential causality.

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