The Influence of Gender and Length of Therapy Use on Sleep Quality in Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

Background: Normal sleep duration is crucial for maintaining brain homeostasis. Sleep disorders in Parkinson's disease are numerous, multifactorial, and result in significant morbidity.

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the association between gender and the duration of therapy on sleep quality in patients with Parkinson's disease.

Methods: The study is prospective, and includes 40 consecutively hospitalized patients with verified Parkinson's disease. The study included subjects of both genders and all age groups. To analyze the data on the subjects, we used: medical histories, nursing documentation of patients, a questionnaire with sociodemographic data, and the Parkinson's Disease Sleep Assessment Scale. We divided all subjects into two groups: subjects who have been using therapy for up to 5 years and those who have been using therapy for more than 5 years.

Results: Among subjects who have been taking medication for less than 5 years, 33.3% were female and 66.6% were male. Of the total number of respondents who have been taking therapy for more than 5 years, 36.3% are female and 63.6% are male. The duration of the therapy has a statistically significant effect on the quality of sleep in patients with Parkinson's disease (p < 0.05). The subject's gender does not have a significant independent influence on the quality of sleep in patients with Parkinson's disease (p > 0.05). The interaction of gender and length of therapy use has no significant separate effect on the quality of sleep in Parkinson's disease patients (p > 0.05). The quality of sleep is better in male and female subjects who take the therapy until the age of 5.

Conclusion: The duration of therapy use has a significant impact on the quality of sleep in Parkinson's disease patients. The gender of the subject has no significant independent influence on the quality of sleep in patients with Parkinson's disease.