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| Neurology supplements are not peer-reviewed. Information contained in Neurology supplements represent the opinions of the authors and are not endorsed by nor do they reflect the views of the American Academy of Neurology, Editor-in-Chief, or Associate Editors of Neurology. |
From the Parkinsons Disease and Movement Disorders Center, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania Health System, Pennsylvania Hospital, Philadelphia, PA.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr. Charles R. Cantor, Penn Neurological Institute, 330 South 9th St., Philadelphia, PA 19107; e-mail: crcantor{at}pahosp.com
Dopaminergic therapy is increasingly recognized as a cause of excessive daytime sleepiness in patients with PD. This adverse effect may be a dose-related phenomenon that is somewhat more likely to occur with dopamine agonists than with levodopa, although all dopaminergic drugs can be sedating. However, medication effect is only one of several causes of somnolence in PD. Other factors include age-related changes in sleep quality, nocturnal motor disturbances, primary sleep disorders such as sleep apnea, medication-induced sleep disruption, and concurrent medical illnesses. There is also increasing evidence that the disease process itself may affect the control of the sleepwake cycle. Although we have characterized the sleep disturbances in PD, further investigation is needed to define their prevalence and etiology, particularly with respect to the role of dopamine and dopaminergic agents. Clinicians should be alert to the complaint of excessive sleepiness in their patients and should attempt to identify and treat the underlying causes.
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