Utility of the REM sleep behavior disorder screening questionnaire (RBDSQ) in Parkinson's disease patients

Abstract

Objective: We evaluated the usefulness of the REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) screening questionnaire (RBDSQ) among patients with Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: Forty-five patients with PD were evaluated (22 male and 23 female, 72.9±9.1 years old). After patients completed the RBDSQ, we conducted interviews regarding RBD symptoms and performed polysomnographic examinations on the subjects. We then compared RBDSQ scores among the following groups: PD with RBD (n=19), PD without RBD (n=26), and idiopathic RBD (n=31, 22 male and 9 female, 67.8±6.5 years old), and estimated the cut-off score for an RBD diagnosis.

Results: RBDSQ scores in PD with RBD and idiopathic RBD groups were similar and higher than those in the PD without RBD group (PD with RBD: 7.2±1.9, idiopathic RBD: 7.9±2.8, PD without RBD: 2.9±1.6). Cronbach's α for RBDSQ sub-scores was 0.73, suggesting a fair internal consistency. A receiver-operator characteristics curve revealed that a total score of 6 points on the RBDSQ represented the best cut-off value for detecting RBD (sensitivity=0.842, specificity=0.962).

Conclusion: RBDSQ could be a useful tool for the screening of RBD in PD patients.