Huntington's Disease Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Huntington's Disease, including details on genetics, causes, symptoms, treatment.

Long-term treatment of sleep breathing disorder in a patient with Huntington's disease.

Banno K, Hobson DE, Kryger MH

Sleep Disorders Center, St. Boniface General Hospital, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Man., Canada.

Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder. An association with sleep breathing disorder has not previously been established in the literature. We report the case of a 45-year-old woman with HD, presenting with snoring and observed apnea. Polysomnography showed obstructive sleep apnea with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of 6.6 per hour including events up to 57 s long during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. A trial of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) resulted in significant improvement in sleep structure, nocturnal respiration, daytime alertness, and subjective memory. Snoring, apneas, and respiratory arousals were abolished on CPAP. HD patients may suffer from sleep breathing disorder, and in spite of potential chorea, CPAP is feasible and may significantly improve their quality of life.

Published 9 May 2005 in Parkinsonism Relat Disord, 11(4): 261-4.
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