Gender differences in prevalence and risk factors of sleep disturbances in patients with epilepsy

Background Sleep disturbances are frequently observed in patients with epilepsy (PWE), with adversely effects on life quality and seizure control.

The study aimed to assess the gender differences in incidence and factors of sleep disturbances in PWE.

Methods PWE confirmed the diagnosis of epilepsy were consecutively enrolled in this cross-sectional study, with detailed information recorded.

A group of healthy participants were recruited as the control.

Sleep and mood disorders were evaluated with the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI).

Results One hundred and thirty-three patients (age: 30.2 ± 10.6 years, men: 51%) and 150 healthy subjects were recruited in this study.

Compared with healthy controls, PWE had higher mean scores of the ISI and BDI ( p  < 0.001 and p  = 0.01).

There were no significant gender differences in the prevalence and scores of sleep disturbances in PWE.

In the overall PWE, nocturnal seizures and focal epilepsy were respectively related to insomnia and poor sleep quality (OR = 3.35, p  = 0.024; OR = 3.08, p  = 0.013), and mood disorders were also important factors in sleep disturbances ( p  < 0.05).

In the analysis by gender, depression, anxiety, nocturnal seizures and focal epilepsy were associated with insomnia and poor sleep quality in men.

For women, however, depression mood was the only factor of sleep disturbances.

Conclusions Though no gender difference was observed in the incidence of sleep disturbances, factors contributing to insomnia and sleep quality were different by gender.

The factors and gender differences of sleep disturbances should be taken into account in the clinical treatment.