Causes of sleep apnoea in people with MS

Sleep disruption is very common in MS. The aim of this project is to identify the underlying causes of sleep apnoea in people with MS. Discovering the underlying causes in people with MS is important to inform targeted therapy.

Sleep apnoea can further exacerbate MS symptoms such as fatigue, cognitive impairment and depression. While recent studies have shown that continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy for sleep apnoea in people with MS may reduce fatigue, this therapy is better suited for cases of sleep apnoea associated with obesity which may be different to sleep apnoea caused by MS.

Professor Eckert and his team have pioneered techniques to identify different causes of sleep apnoea and develop new tailored therapies in different types of sleep apnoea. They have previously worked on sleep apnoea in people with spinal cord injury and people with MS, with lesions on their spinal cord, might have similar causes of sleep apnoea, which may be predominately caused by impaired muscle control of the throat. This research hopes to provide new ways treating sleep apnoea in people with MS.

Updated: 15 August 2018