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After analyzing the data, Ohayon found that 2.1 percent of the people surveyed had sleep apnea - a figure consistent with data from past studies on selected populations - and 2.5 percent had another type of breathing-related sleep disorder. Eighteen percent of respondents who were experiencing a depressive disorder (4 percent of all respondents) also had a breathing-related sleep disorder, compared with 3.8 percent of non-depressed respondents. That represents a five-times increased likelihood of breathing-related sleep disorders among depressed people.

"This is the first study to show the strength of the link between the two disorders," said Ohayon, adding that even after controlling for obesity and hypertension (important factors in each disorder) the association remained strong.

It remains unclear whether depression occurred before or after sleep apnea, and to what extent sleep apnea contributes to the maintenance or aggravation of depression. Ohayon said the link between treating sleep apnea syndrome and the evolution of depressive disorders needs further investigation. He hopes physicians will consider the association between the disorders and depression when treating depressed patients. "Once people have their sleep apnea recognized, there is a lot we can do to help them," he said.

Ohayon received funding for his research from the Medical Research Council of Quebec and an unrestricted educational grant from the Sanofi-Synthelabo Group, a pharmaceutical company.

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Contact: Michelle Brandt
mbrandt@stanford.edu
Stanford University Medical Center
6-Nov-2003