Objective Sleep Assessment in Systemic Mastocytosis: Polysomnographic Findings from a Single-Center Observational...

Area of Science:

• Hematology
• Sleep Medicine
• Rare Diseases

Background:

• Systemic mastocytosis (SM) is a rare disorder linked to mediator-related symptoms, including neurocognitive and sleep complaints.
• Objective polysomnographic data in SM patients are limited, hindering understanding of sleep disturbances.
• Overweight and obesity are known contributors to sleep-disordered breathing, complicating PSG interpretation in SM.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize sleep architecture, continuity, and sleep-disordered breathing in adult SM patients using polysomnography (PSG).
• To investigate the prevalence of sleep abnormalities in SM patients.
• To explore potential associations between SM, obesity, and sleep parameters.

Main Methods:

• Single-center observational study of nine adult SM patients.
• Overnight laboratory polysomnography (PSG) performed after antihistamine withdrawal.
• Data collected included demographics, SM subtype, serum tryptase, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), cognitive complaints, and detailed PSG parameters (sleep stages, AHI, etc.).

Main Results:

• The cohort was predominantly overweight/obese (8/9 patients).
• PSG revealed frequent sleep-disordered breathing (8/9 patients with OSA, mostly mild-moderate) and REM sleep changes.
• Brain fog complaints were common (6/9 patients), but excessive daytime sleepiness was rare (2/9 patients).

Conclusions:

• PSG findings in SM patients showed frequent sleep-disordered breathing and REM changes, but these are confounded by high rates of overweight/obesity and lack of a control group.
• Brain fog is a common complaint, while excessive daytime sleepiness is less frequent.
• Objective sleep assessment may benefit selected SM patients with fatigue or cognitive issues; larger controlled studies are needed to clarify SM's direct impact on sleep.