Can Sleep Apnea Cause Depressive Symptoms in Some Patients?

Patients with obstructive sleep apnea had depression scores in the moderate range that fell to the normal range after treatment of the sleep apnea.

Sleep apnea is associated with multiple depressive symptoms, most notably insomnia and fatigue, and with an increased rate of major depression. A clinical study now provides further information about these diagnoses.

Of 426 patients presenting for apnea evaluation at a sleep clinic, 293 had mild-to-moderate apnea, and 228 were able to comply with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment for 3 months. Before polysomnography, patients answered the nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).

The number of apnea episodes was directly correlated with PHQ-9 score in the entire sample and within CPAP-compliant patients. In these patients, mean PHQ-9 fell from 11.3 to 3.7 with CPAP, and the proportion of patients with PHQ-9 of ≥10 (a …

Reviewing Author

Peter Roy-Byrne, MD

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Peter Roy-Byrne, MD

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Can Sleep Apnea Cause Depressive Symptoms in Some Patients?

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Reviewing Author