Depressed? Sleep Therapy May Help
14 Sep 2005
Patients who experience symptoms, such as sleepiness, fatigue, poor motivation,
irritability, and difficulty concentrating, are often diagnosed with depression
and are treated with antidepressants.
A new study suggests that many of these patients have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA),
and their symptoms may be reduced with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
therapy.
Researchers from The Sleep Center at University Community Hospital, Tampa, FL,
found that 38 percent of patients were receiving antidepressant medication, and,
after using CPAP therapy consistently for 4 to 6 weeks, 98 percent of patients
showed improvements in depression
and sleep scores.
Researchers speculate that these patients were misdiagnosed with depression and
actually had OSA or patients had related OSA events and subsequent sleep
fragmentation that possibly affected the brain and caused depression.
It is also possible that OSA and depression
share an underlying mechanism. Researchers suggest that physicians test patients
presenting with symptoms of depression
for OSA and, if necessary, offer CPAP treatment. The study appears in the
September issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of
Chest Physicians.
Jennifer Stawarz
American College of Chest Physicians
News briefs from the journal Chest, September 2005
chestnet.org
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/
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