Sleep disorders associated with traumatic brain injury. Academic Article uri icon

Overview

abstract

  • OBJECTIVES: To investigate the frequency of sleep disorders in traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients with hypersomnia and to discern the relationship between posttraumatic sleep disorders and pretraumatic sleep symptoms. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study using the criterion standard to diagnose sleep disorders in a consecutive sample of TBI patients. SETTING: Academic medical center with level I trauma center, rehabilitative medicine services, and accredited sleep disorders center. PATIENTS: Ten TBI patients with subjective excessive sleepiness. INTERVENTION: Nocturnal polysomnography followed by Multiple Sleep Latency Test. Subjects who had overt sleep apnea on the first nocturnal polysomnography had a second nocturnal polysomnography with titration of nasal continuous positive airway pressure. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Diagnosis of sleep-disordered breathing, narcolepsy, and posttraumatic hypersomnia. RESULTS: A diagnosis of treatable sleep disorder was made in all 10 subjects. Sleep-disordered breathing was found in 7 subjects: overt obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) was diagnosed in 5 subjects, rapid eye movement-related OSA in 1, and upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) in 1. Narcolepsy was diagnosed in 2 subjects, and the diagnosis of posttraumatic hypersomnia was made in 1 subject. Three subjects had symptoms of hypersomnia before their injury (1 each with narcolepsy, OSA, UARS), and 2 of these were driving a car at the time of injury. CONCLUSION: Treatable sleep disorders appear to be common in the sleepy TBI population, but may be largely undiagnosed and untreated.

publication date

  • October 1, 2001

Research

keywords

  • Brain Injuries
  • Sleep Wake Disorders

Identity

Scopus Document Identifier

  • 0034794526

PubMed ID

  • 11588744

Additional Document Info

volume

  • 82

issue

  • 10