Survey results: sleep disorders screening

We need to get a grip on sleep disorders in MS; they are common. #MSBlog #MSResearch

"Thank you all for completing the sleep disorder survey that has been running on the blog since early April. The following is a precis of the results."

Number of MSers respondents  = 146

Mean age (standard deviation) = 45 yrs (SD 9.9)
Youngest respondent  = 23 yrs
Oldest respondent = 63 yrs
                                 
Sex: females = 64% & males = 36%

Type of MS: CIS = 3%, RRMS = 67%, SPMS = 20% & PPMS = 10%

Proportion of MSers with symptoms suggestive of sleep apnea – a potentially serious disorder which causes you to stop breathing repeatedly, often hundreds of times in the night during your sleep = 71%

Proportion of MSers with symptoms suggestive of insomnia – a persistent inability to fall asleep or stay asleep = 64%

Proportion of MSers with symptoms suggestive of narcolepsy or daytime hypersomnolence  – a disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks during the day = 49%

Proportion of MSers with symptoms suggestive of periodic limb movement disorder uncontrollable leg or arm jerks during sleep or restless leg syndrome = 66%


"These results suggest that sleep disorders are very common in MS and need to be investigated. Poor sleep impacts massively on daytime functioning; it contributes to MS-related fatigue. If you score highly on these subscales of the screening questionnaire you should speak to your MS team. You may need to be investigated further."

Disclaimer: These results are based on a sleep disorder screening questionnaire; the prevalence of of these disorders will be lower in real life. Screening questionnaires, by design, overestimate the prevalence of the disorders before further investigations are done to specifically diagnose the condition in question. 


Labels: , ,