Excessive daytime sleepiness and obstructive sleep apnea in Thai epileptic patients

Sleepiness is a common complaint in epilepsy. Also obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is increasingly detected and would affect the epilepsy prognosis. We aimed to determine the frequency and predictors of sleepiness and OSA in epileptic patients.

This was a cross-sectional descriptive study using Epworth Sleepiness Scale questionnaire (ESS) and Sleep Apnea scale of the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire (SA-SDQ) to identify excessive daytime sleepiness and OSA in our consecutive epileptic patients in Neurology out-patient clinic.

Overall 113 patients (male 55%) answered a personal survey and completed ESS and SA-SDQ. Mean age was 47 years (range 15-93). Average body mass index (BMI) was 24. Excessive daytime sleepiness (ESS 10) was demonstrated in 37%, and the prevalence of OSA diagnosed by using SA-SDQ was 20% (male 18%, female 22%). OSA were identified 68% among individuals whose BMI of more than 25, which was significant higherfi-equency than in the nomnnal BMI group (32%). The predictors of having OSA were older age and higher BMI. Epworth Sleepiness Scale score was also higher in the OSA group than in non-OSA group.

Excessive daytime sleepiness was identified around one third ofour epileptic individutals. Twenty percent had met the questionnaire criteria of having OSA. Overweight was the most important and modifiable risk factor ofOSA.