Impacto de la epilepsia pediátrica en la arquitectura del sueño: una revisión sistemática y metaanálisis

Epilepsy significantly affects sleep quality and neurodevelopment in pediatric populations. However, the specific pathways through which epilepsy affects sleep architecture and the multidimensional implications of this association have not been fully clarified in existing research. This study conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the influence of epilepsy on sleep parameters and its association with disease progression (seizure aggravation and cognitive/emotional impairment).

A total of 24 studies comparing individuals with epilepsy to healthy controls were analyzed. A random-effects model was applied to synthesize findings across multiple sleep parameters.

Compared to healthy controls, those with epilepsy demonstrated significantly higher scores for sleep disturbances, sleep-disordered breathing, parasomnias and night waking, along with total sleep time, reduced sleep efficiency and REM sleep proportion. These findings highlight the extensive disruption of sleep architecture in this population.

Pediatric epilepsy is significantly associated with multidimensional sleep architecture abnormalities, including increased sleep disturbances, reduced sleep efficiency, and decreased REM sleep proportion. This study highlights the need to integrate sleep assessment and management into comprehensive epilepsy care, providing a data-supported basis for optimizing clinical outcomes.