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Sleep habits and disturbances in Malaysian children with epilepsy

Lai Choo Ong1, Wai Wai Yang, Sau Wei Wong

  • 1Department of Paediatrics, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre, Jalan Yaacob Latif, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. onglc@ppukm.ukm.my

Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health
|January 29, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Children with epilepsy experience more sleep disturbances, particularly issues initiating and maintaining sleep, compared to their siblings. Epilepsy severity is linked to increased sleep problems, highlighting the need for comprehensive care.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Neurology
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Epileptology

Background:

  • Sleep disturbances are common in children.
  • Epilepsy can significantly impact a child's quality of life and overall health.
  • Understanding sleep patterns in epileptic children is crucial for their management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To compare sleep habits and disturbances between Malaysian children with epilepsy and their healthy siblings.
  • To identify factors associated with increased sleep disturbance in epileptic children.

Main Methods:

  • The study involved 92 children with epilepsy and their siblings, aged 4-18 years.
  • Sleep disturbances were assessed using the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) questionnaire.
  • Multiple regression analysis identified factors linked to high Total SDSC scores.

Main Results:

  • Epileptic children reported significantly higher sleep disturbance scores than their siblings.
  • Common issues included difficulty initiating/maintaining sleep and sleep-wake transition disorders.
  • Higher epilepsy severity correlated with greater sleep disturbances, and co-sleeping was more prevalent.

Conclusions:

  • Children with epilepsy exhibit more sleep disturbances, especially related to sleep initiation and transitions.
  • Epilepsy severity is a contributing factor to these sleep problems.
  • Integrating sleep problem evaluation into the comprehensive care of children with severe epilepsy is recommended.
Abstract

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