Idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder and neurodegenerative risk: to tell or not to tell to the patient? How to minimize the risk?

Most people with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) have an underlying synucleinopathy, mainly Parkinson ’s disease (PD) or dementia with Lewy bodies, with median conversion time of 4-9 years from iRBD diagnosis and of 11-16 years from symptom onset. Subtle signs and imaging tests indicate concomitant neurodegeneration in widespread brain areas. Risk factor studies suggest that iRBD patients may have prior head injury, occupational farming, pesticide exposure, low education level and possibly more frequent family history of dream-enactment behavior (but not of PD), plus unexpected risk factors (smoking, ischemic heart disease and inhaled corticosteroid use).
Source: Sleep Medicine Reviews - Category: Sleep Medicine Authors: Source Type: research