Sleep Apnea Syndrome and Complex Partial Seizure; Is There Any Association?

Abstract

Background: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a type of sleep related breathing disorder due to upper airway obstruction with the high risk of 26% among adults. According to some researches, it seems there is a relation between OSA and epilepsy. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the risk of this disorder and daytime sleepiness in patients with complex partial seizure. Methods: This analytical descriptive study was done on 90 patients referred to Alzahra Neurology Clinic in Isfahan, Iran, in 2012. They were divided into two case and control groups (n = 45). The first consisted of Complex partial seizures (CPS) patients and the second was non-epileptic patients. Sleep Quality Questionnaire was completed for the participants, and demographic information, type and doses of used drugs, and seizure recurrence cases in the previous 3 months were gathered for each patient. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. Findings: The mean value of OSA in the case and control groups were 1.95 ± 1.41 and 1.84 ± 1.43, respectively, with no significant difference (P = 0.71). The mean score of EPWORTH questionnaire were 5.1 ± 4.4 and 5.3 ± 4.8 in the two groups; which were not significantly different. Conclusion: There was no evidence of OSA association with epilepsy. However, due to the importance of OSA it is recommended that further studies be carried out in this regard. Moreover, it is necessary for epileptic patients to gain definitive diagnosis. Then, the effects of OSA on improvement of seizure control, and their quality of life must be studied.

Keywords

• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Complex partial seizures
• Daytime sleepiness