Serum Levels of Melatonin and Sleep Evaluation Scales in the Diagnosis of Sleep Disorders in Patients with Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease

• Published in: Noro-Psikiyatri Arsivi 2019-12, Vol.56 (4), p.264-268
• Main Authors: Uysal, Hasan Armağan, Tıftıkcıoğlu, Bedile Irem, Öcek, Levent, Zorlu, Yaşar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Ambulatory care facilities; Care and treatment; Medical research; Melatonin; Rasagiline; Sleep disorders; Sleep monitors
• ISSN: 1300-0667; 1309-4866
• DOI: 10.5152/npa.2017.19367

Sleep disturbances, such as difficulty in initiation of sleep, decrease in total sleep duration and efficacy, frequent awakenings, and increased daytime sleepiness are among the most common non-motor symptoms in patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD). However, patients usually do not consider these symptoms as important as their motor symptoms, and do not complain. We aimed to investigate PD patients for subtle sleep disturbances using sleep evaluation scales, and to evaluate the relationship between these tests and the serum levels of melatonin during night-sleep. A total of 40 PD patients (19, female), older than 50 years, registered in our "Movement Disorders Out-patient Clinic", and 40 healthy, age and sex-matched control subjects (20, female) were included in the study. All subjects were assessed using Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). Serum melatonin levels during night-sleep were measured in blood samples taken at 00:00 and 05:00 hours in every subject. Both groups were compared for demographical data, sleep evaluation scales and serum levels of melatonin. Patients with PD had significantly higher scores in PSQI and ESS than the healthy controls (p0.05). However, there was a significant but weak correlation (r=-0.353, p=0.025) between ESS scores and the serum melatonin levels measured at 05:00 hours in patients, but not between the melatonin levels measured at 00:00 hours. Sleep evaluation questionnaires such as, PSQI and ESS, can provide useful information in PD patients with mild sleep disturbances. However, serum melatonin levels alone were not helpful in diagnosing the sleep disorders.