Sleep quality and architecture in Idiopathic generalized epilepsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Idiopathic generalized epilepsies are a group of sleep related epilepsy syndromes with sleep deprivation as a strong trigger for seizures and increased spike-wave activity during sleep and transition to sleep. Neuropsychological deficits are common in Idiopathic generalized epilepsy patients. Learning and memory processes are closely linked to sleep. Therefore, this systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the evidence of sleep disturbances in Idiopathic generalized epilepsy patients. A search of the databases EMBASE, Medline and Scopus identified 22 studies comparing polysomnographic parameters and scores of sleep questionnaires between Idiopathic generalized epilepsy patients and healthy controls. Random effect univariate meta-analyses revealed reduced sleep efficiency, total sleep time, proportion of N2 stage and prolonged REM onset latency in Idiopathic generalized epilepsy patients. Self-assessed sleep quality of patients measured by the Pittsburgh sleep quality index was lower in two thirds of reporting studies. Considering the influence on behavioral issues, cognitive performance and quality of life, the revealed alteration in sleep architecture and lower subjective sleep quality emphasizes the importance of screening for sleep disturbances in the medical care of patients with Idiopathic generalized epilepsy.