Study Of Sleep Problems In School-aged Children With Epilepsy And Its Influence Factors

Objective Epilepsy is one of the most common chronic diseases in neurology,which has the characteristics of transient,paroxysmal,repetitive and stereotyped.The majority of epilepsy patients onset in childhood,and there are quite a number of studies have shown that children with epilepsy often combined with sleep problems.Most of previous studies focused on the relationship between epilepsy and sleep,but there were few studies focused on the specific influencing factors of sleep quality.The purpose of this study was to investigate the sleep problems and related affecting factors of primary or possibly symptomatic school-aged children with epilepsy.Methods This study is a cross-sectional study.From November 2014 to July 2015,we investigated 54 school-aged children with primary or possibly symptomatic epilepsy at our hospital(7 to 12 years old)and the general 54 healthy children whose gender and age are strictly matched with epilepsy group.We compared the CSHQ total score and the score level between the two groups by using Chinese version of the children’s sleep habits questionnaire(CSHQ).The data were processed with various statistical methods(such as Chi-square test,independent t-test,analysis of variance,multiple regression analysis)to investigate the effects of different clinical characters on the sleep of school-age children with epilepsy.Result1.The total CSHQ score and 6 subscale scores,which are Bedtime Resistance,Sleep Onset Delay,Sleep Anxiety,Night Wakings,Parasomnias,and Daytime Sleepiness,were significantly higher in the epilepsy group(P<0.05).2.In the epilepsy group,different age groups have statistical difference in the total CSHQ score and 4 subscale scores,which are Sleep resistance,Sleep Onset Delay,Sleep duration and Sleep anxiety(P<0.05).The seizure controlled group and the uncontrolled group have statistical difference in the total CSHQ score and all subscale scores,except of Sleep-Disordered Breathing and Daytime Sleepiness(P<0.05).There were statistically significant differences in the total CSHQ score and all subscale scores,except of Sleep-Disordered Breathing in different seizure frequency groups(P<0.05).Different seizure type groups have statistical difference in the total CSHQ score and 4 subscale scores,which are Sleep resistance,Sleep duration,Sleep anxiety and Daytime Sleepiness(P<0.05).Different seizure time groups have statistical difference in the total CSHQ score and 5 subscale scores,which are Sleep resistance,Sleep Onset Delay,Sleep duration,Sleep anxiety and Night Waking(P<0.05).Monotherapy group and polytherapy group have statistical difference in the total CSHQ score and 4 subscale scores,which are Sleep Onset Delay,Night Waking,Parasomnias and Daytime Sleepiness(P<0.05).3.Multiple linear regression analysis showed that the main influencing factors of the total CSHQ score and some subscale scores are gender,age,control of seizure,frequency of seizure,type of seizure,time of seizure and the number of drug taking.Conclusion1.school-aged children with idiopathic or probably symptomatic epilepsy may have significant sleep problems compared with healthy children.2.The occurrence of sleep problems in school-age children with epilepsy may be related to gender,age,control of seizure,frequency of seizure,type of seizure,time of seizure and the choice of antiepileptic drugs.