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Clinical and polysomnographic characteristics of excessive daytime sleepiness in children

  • Neurology • Original Article
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Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to delineate the clinical and polysomnography (PSG) characteristics of sleep disorders in children with excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS).

Methods

Between February 2002 and June 2015, 622 pediatric patients with EDS were evaluated with overnight PSG and the Multiple Sleep Latency Test at the Samsung Medical Center. The medical records; questionnaire responses about depression, sleepiness, sleep habits; and sleep study data of 133 patients without obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) were reviewed retrospectively.

Results

The patients (63 girls, 70 boys) slept for an average of 7 h 30 min and 8 h 44 min on weekdays and weekends, respectively. The mean Epworth Sleepiness Scale score was 11.01 ± 4.09 and did not differ significantly among sleep disorders. Among the 102 patients who completed the depression questionnaire, 53 showed depressive feelings, which were moderate or severe in 39, with no significant differences among specific sleep disorders. Thirty-four patients exhibited normal PSG results. Seventeen of them were concluded as not having any sleep disorders, and the others as having delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD). Narcolepsy (n = 78) was the most common disorder, followed by DSPD (n = 17) and idiopathic hypersomnia (n = 12).

Conclusions

Pediatric patients with EDS had various sleep disorders and some did not have any sleep disorder despite EDS. More than half the patients with EDS showed depressive feelings affecting their daily lives. For pediatric patients with EDS, a systematic diagnostic approach including questionnaires for sleep habits and emotion and PSG is essential for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank H.J. Park and Y.H. Lim for preparing the data and C.K. Min for reviewing and editing the manuscript. This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81, Irwon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06351, South Korea

    Jiwon Lee, Munhyang Lee & Jeehun Lee

  2. Department of Neurology, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, 81, Irwon-ro, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, 06351, South Korea

    Geonyoub Na & Eun Yeon Joo

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  1. Jiwon Lee
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Correspondence to Jeehun Lee.

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There were no sources of funding or financial support of this research.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Lee, J., Na, G., Joo, E.Y. et al. Clinical and polysomnographic characteristics of excessive daytime sleepiness in children. Sleep Breath 21, 967–974 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-017-1545-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-017-1545-y

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