Sleep Disturbance in Parkinson’s Disease Varies with Age of Onset and Family History

Introduction: Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease more common in those over the age of 60. PD is classically characterized by motor features, although patients may also experience non-motor symptoms. Sleep disturbances, such as rapid eye movement (REM) behavior disorder (RBD), are common in patients with PD and may precede onset of PD. Methods: Data was collected on patients with PD (358 subjects)in a movement disorders clinic at a safety net hospital. In this retrospective database analysis, the association of PD complications with age of onset was evaluated using chi-square tests and logistic regression. Results: Of the PD complications analyzed, there was a significant difference in sleep disturbances by age. Among the 358 PD patients, 120 individuals (33.5%) had information regarding the presence or absence of sleep disturbances. There was a significant difference between the early (onset < 50) and later onset (≥50) groups (p = 0.03) with the odds of having a sleep disorder for the early group 1.6 times that of the late group. Those subjects with siblings who also had PD had 2.0 times the odds of having a sleep disorder compared those without (p = 0.02). Conclusion: Non-motor symptoms such as sleep disorders are a useful predictor of early onset PD. Genetic components of PD impact both motor and non-motor aspects of the disease.