ACUTE EFFECT OF NASAL CPAP ON PERIODIC LIMB MOVEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITHBREATHING DISORDERS DURING SLEEP

Sleep-disordered breathing is commonly associated with periodic limb m ovements (PLMS). Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) is the most widely used treatment for sleep-disordered breathing. However , it is not clear whether nCPAP treatment of apnea also has a systemat ic effect on PLMS. We studied 15 patients with sleep-disordered breath ing and PLMS in a split-night protocol in order to confirm the acute e ffects of nCPAP on PLMS. Although the PLMS index (PLMSI) did not chang e statistically (baseline, 38.7 +/- 20.5; CPAP, 31.3 +/- 17.0; p = ns) , the PLMS-related arousal index (PLMS-ArI) decreased significantly on nCPAP (baseline, 17.8 +/- 10.1; CPAP, 9.2 +/- 5.7; p < 0.05). Whether the reduced PLMS-ArI is sustained with chronic nCPAP is unknown and a matter of future investigation.