Sleep Apnea Patients Should Be Screened for Depression
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients with symptoms of excessive sleepiness have the greatest risk of depression, says a new study, and should be screened for this condition. Dr. Stacey Ishman and a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins University evaluated 56 consecutive patients with OSA aged 27-74 who visited a clinic for treatment and compared them with 51 patients who did not have OSA. Overall, significantly more OSA patients met the criteria for depression (29%) than those who did not have OSA (8%). The severity of their sleep apnea was a good predictor of the severity of their depression symptoms, however, their depression symptoms did not predict the severity of the sleep apnea.
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