Aims: To investigate changes in subjective and objective sleep quality after desmopressin administration in patients with nocturia due to nocturnal polyuria (NP) using electroencephalography (EEG) and the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI).
Methods: Twenty male patients (≥65 years old) with NP participated in this study. The inclusion criteria were nocturnal frequency ≥ 2, NP index (NPi) ≥ 0.33, first uninterrupted sleep period (FUSP) ≤ 2.5 h, serum sodium concentration ≥ 135 mEq/L, and estimated glomerular filtration rate ≥ 50 mL/min/1.73 m2. Participants were given 50 μg of desmopressin to be taken orally once daily before bed. The primary endpoint was the change in the duration of slow-wave sleep (nonrapid eye movement sleep stages 3 and 4), as evaluated by EEG 28 days from the baseline. The visual analog scale (VAS) was used as an additional indicator of sleep quality.
Results: Analysis of data from 15 participants (median age: 74.0 [70.5, 76.0] years) revealed that from before to after desmopressin administration, significant decreases occurred in the median nocturnal frequency (3.0 [2.0, 4.0] to 1.5 [1.0, 2.0]) and NPi (0.445 [0.380, 0.475] to 0.360 [0.250, 0.430]). Furthermore, FUSP was significantly prolonged from 120.0 (94.0, 150.0) min to 210.0 (203.8, 311.3) min. Although the VAS scores improved, slow-wave sleep duration and the PSQI global score showed no significant differences (68.50 [47.50, 75.50] and 48.00 [38.00, 66.50]; 5.0 [5.0, 10.0] and 7.0 [5.0, 9.0] min, respectively).
Conclusion: Oral administration of 50 μg desmopressin improved nocturnal frequency and FUSP in older individuals with NP but did not significantly enhance sleep quality. In older adults, decreased nighttime urinary frequency may enhance quality of life; however, its influence on objective sleep quality may be limited.
Keywords: desmopressin; male; nocturia; nocturnal polyuria; sleep; slow‐wave sleep.
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