A Medscape report examines the results of a new study that highlights the relationship between sleep disorders and drug-resistant epilepsy.
Sleep disorders are more common in people with epilepsy than healthy controls, and may contribute to increased seizure frequency.[1] Nocturnal seizures may also interfere with sleep, resulting in a potentially vicious cycle of poor sleep and poor seizure control. Treatment of obstructive sleep apnea may improve seizure control.[2]
To determine the likelihood of sleep disorders in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy, the authors of a recent study administered three sleep questionnaires to 101 patients with temporal lobe epilepsy and 88 patients extratemporal lobe epilepsy who were undergoing EEG/video monitoring.[1] The patients completed the Medical Outcome Study Sleep Scale (MOS-SS), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Sleep Apnea Scale of the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire (SA-SDQ).*
