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Sleep disorders in children with epilepsy
M Furones García1, J J García Peñas1, E González Alguacil1
1Hospital Niño Jesús. Departamento de Neurología, Madrid, Spain.
Insights
Sleep disorders and poor sleep habits are highly prevalent in children with epilepsy, affecting over 80% of patients. Addressing these issues can improve quality of life and epilepsy prognosis.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Sleep Medicine
- Epileptology
Background:
- Children with epilepsy exhibit a higher prevalence of sleep disorders compared to the general population.
- The relationship between epilepsy and sleep disorders is bidirectional, underscoring the importance of diagnosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the incidence of sleep disorders and poor sleep habits in pediatric epilepsy patients.
- To investigate the association between epilepsy characteristics and sleep disturbances.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional study involving 153 pediatric patients with epilepsy.
- Sleep disorders were assessed using the Spanish version of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC).
- Sleep habits were evaluated using an original questionnaire.
Main Results:
- Eighty-four percent of children with epilepsy experienced sleep alterations, most commonly sleep-wake transition disorders (53%), sleep initiation/maintenance disorders (47.7%), and daytime sleepiness (44.4%).
- Despite parental reports of good sleep, objective findings revealed sleep disorders in up to 75.7% of cases.
- Poor sleep habits, including electronic device use in bed and co-sleeping, were common. Generalised, refractory, or nocturnal epilepsy, and intellectual disability were linked to higher rates of sleep disorders.
Conclusions:
- Sleep disorders and poor sleep habits are prevalent in children with epilepsy.
- Intervention for these sleep issues can enhance patient and family quality of life.
- Improving sleep may positively impact epilepsy prognosis.
Introduction:
Children with epilepsy present greater prevalence of sleep disorders than the general population. Their diagnosis is essential, since epilepsy and sleep disorders have a bidirectional relationship.
Objective:
Determine the incidence of sleep disorders and poor sleep habits in children with epilepsy.
Methods:
We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients under 18 years of age with epilepsy, assessing sleep disorders using the Spanish-language version of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC), and sleep habits using an original questionnaire.
Results:
The sample included 153 patients. Eighty-four percent of our sample presented some type of sleep alteration. The most frequent alterations were sleep-wake transition disorders (53%), sleep initiation and maintenance disorders (47.7%), and daytime sleepiness (44.4%). In 70% of cases, the patients' parents reported that their child "slept well," although sleep disorders were detected in up to 75.7% of these patients. Many patients had poor sleep habits, such as using electronic devices in bed (16.3%), requiring the presence of a family member to fall asleep (39%), or co-sleeping or sharing a room (23.5% and 30.5%, respectively). Those with generalised epilepsy, refractory epilepsy, nocturnal seizures, and intellectual disability were more likely to present sleep disorders. In contrast, poor sleep habits were frequent regardless of seizure characteristics.
Conclusions:
Sleep disorders and poor sleep habits are common in children with epilepsy. Their treatment can lead to an improvement in the quality of life of the patient and his/her family, as well as an improvement in the prognosis of epilepsy.
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