Prevalence and profile of sleep disturbances in Guillain-Barre Syndrome: a prospective questionnaire-based study during 10 days of hospitalization

Insomnia in neurological disorders: Prevalence, mechanisms, impact and treatment approaches

Insomnia is more prevalent in neurological disorders compared to the general population, with rates ranging from 11 to 74.2% in neurodegenerative disorders, 20 to 37% in vascular diseases, 13.3 to 50% in inflammatory diseases, 28.9 to 74.4% in epilepsy, and nearly 70% in migraines. Insomnia in neurological disorders stems from a variety of factors, encompassing physical and neuropsychiatric factors, behavioral patterns, and disruptions in the biological clock and circadian rhythm. There are bidirectional connections between neurological disorders and insomnia. Insomnia in neurological disorders worsens symptoms, resulting in heightened depressive symptoms, elevated mortality rates, reduced quality of life, and intensified acute symptoms. Managing comorbid sleep disorders, especially in the presence of psychiatric comorbidities, is crucial. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the first-line recommendation for insomnia management in neurological disorders. Other treatments are second-line strategies. Melatonin may demonstrate effectiveness in addressing insomnia, with soporific and chronobiotic effects. Furthermore, it has the potential to alleviate "sundowning" and behavioral disturbances, while generally being well-tolerated. Other treatment options that may be of interest include morning bright light therapy, sedative antidepressants, new orexin dual antagonists and levodopa specifically indicated for Parkinson's disease. Benzodiazepines and z-drugs can be used primarily during acute phases to prevent pharmacotolerance and minimize side effects. However, they should be avoided in patients with neurological disorders and not used in patients over 75 years old due to the risk of falls and confusion. In neurological disorders, insomnia has a profound impact on daytime functioning, making its management crucial. Effective treatment can result in improved outcomes, and additional research is necessary to investigate alternative therapeutic options and enhance patient care.

Sleep Disturbances in Autoimmune Neurological Diseases

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To summarize the current evidence on the associations between autoimmune neurological diseases (e.g., multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis) and sleep disturbances (e.g., insomnia, parasomnias), as well as to review the main characteristics of sleep disorders with an immune-related pathophysiology (e.g., narcolepsy, anti-IgLON5 disease).

RECENT FINDINGS

An immune-mediated damage of the areas in the central nervous system that control sleep and wake functions (e.g., hypothalamus, brainstem) can lead to sleep disorders and sleep symptoms. Sleep disturbances are the reason to seek for medical attention in certain neuroimmunological conditions (e.g., narcolepsy, anti-IgLON5 disease) where sleep-related alterations are the main clinical feature. The assessment of sleep-related symptomatology and disorders should be included in the routine evaluation of patients with autoimmune neurological diseases. Clinicians should be aware of the typical clinical presentation of certain neuroimmunological disorders mainly affecting sleep.

Sleep in hospitalized pediatric and adult patients – A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Sleep is essential for recovery from illness. As a result, researchers have shown a growing interest in the sleep of hospitalized patients. Although many studies have been conducted over the past years, an up to date systematic review of the results is missing.

Objective

The objective of this systematic review was to assess sleep quality and quantity of hospitalized patients and sleep disturbing factors.

Methods

A systematic literature search was conducted within four scientific databases. The search focused on synonyms of 'sleep’ and 'hospitalization’. Papers written in English or Dutch from inception to April 25th,2022 were included for hospitalized patients >1 year of age. Papers exclusively reporting about patients receiving palliative, obstetric or psychiatric care were excluded, as well as patients in rehabilitation and intensive care settings, and long-term hospitalized geriatric patients. This review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA guidelines.

Results

Out of 542 full text studies assessed for eligibility, 203 were included, describing sleep quality and/or quantity of 17,964 patients. The median sample size of the studies was 51 patients (IQR 67, range 6–1472). An exploratory meta-analysis of the Total Sleep Time showed an average of 7.2 h (95%-CI 4.3, 10.2) in hospitalized children, 5.7 h (95%-CI 4.8, 6.7) in adults and 5.8 h (95%-CI 5.3, 6.4) in older patients (>60y). In addition, a meta-analysis of the Wake After Sleep Onset (WASO) showed a combined high average of 1.8 h (95%-CI 0.7, 2.9). Overall sleep quality was poor, also due to nocturnal awakenings. The most frequently cited external factors for poor sleep were noise and number of patients in the room. Among the variety of internal/disease-related factors, pain and anxiety were most frequently mentioned to be associated with poor sleep.

Conclusion

Of all studies, 76% reported poor sleep quality and insufficient sleep duration in hospitalized patients. Children sleep on average 0.7–3.8 h less in the hospital than recommended. Hospitalized adults sleep 1.3–3.2 h less than recommended for healthy people. This underscores the need for interventions to improve sleep during hospitalization to support recovery.

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An overview of the magnitude of sleep deprivation in hospitalized patients.

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A meta-analysis of studies reporting on some of the main sleep outcomes.

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An overview of internal and external factors affecting sleep in hospitalized patients.

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Guidance for potential interventions to improve sleep during clinical admission.

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Uncovers a knowledge gap regarding the sleep quality of hospitalized children and daytime sleep of hospitalized adults.

The effects of intravascular photobiomodulation on sleep disturbance caused by Guillain-Barré syndrome after Astrazeneca vaccine inoculation: Case report and literature review

RATIONALE

Sleep disturbance is commonly noted after Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and is often caused by persistent discomfort after disease survival. Intravascular laser irradiation of blood (ILIB) has been shown to be effective in pain modulation owing to the influence of nociceptive signals in the peripheral nervous system. We investigated the application of ILIB on post-Oxford -AstraZeneca vaccination GBS and evaluated its effect on sleep quality.

PATIENT CONCERNS

A 48-year-old woman was subsequently diagnosed with GBS after Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccination. The patient was discharged after a 5-day course of intravenous immunoglobulin administration. However, 1 week after discharge, the previously relieved symptoms flared with accompanying sleep disturbance.

DIAGNOSIS AND INTERVENTIONS

The patient was diagnosed with post-vaccination GBS, and persistent pain and sleep disturbances persisted after disease survival. ILIB was performed.

OUTCOMES

We used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index before and after intravascular laser irradiation. There was a marked improvement in the sleep duration, efficiency, and overall sleep quality. The initial score was 12 out of 21 and the final score was 7 out of 21.

LESSONS

We found that ILIB was effective in pain modulation in post-vaccination GBS and significantly improved sleep quality.

Role of Melatonin on Virus-Induced Neuropathogenesis-A Concomitant Therapeutic Strategy to Understand SARS-CoV-2 Infection

Viral infections may cause neurological disorders by directly inducing oxidative stress and interrupting immune system function, both of which contribute to neuronal death. Several reports have described the neurological manifestations in Covid-19 patients where, in severe cases of the infection, brain inflammation and encephalitis are common. Recently, extensive research-based studies have revealed and acknowledged the clinical and preventive roles of melatonin in some viral diseases. Melatonin has been shown to have antiviral properties against several viral infections which are accompanied by neurological symptoms. The beneficial properties of melatonin relate to its properties as a potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immunoregulatory molecule and its neuroprotective effects. In this review, what is known about the therapeutic role of melatonin in virus-induced neuropathogenesis is summarized and discussed.

Sleep Disturbances Associated with Neurological Autoimmunity

Associations between sleep disorders and neurological autoimmunity have been notably expanding recently. Potential immune-mediated etiopathogenesis has been proposed for various sleep disorders including narcolepsy, Kleine-Levin syndrome, and Morvan syndrome. Sleep manifestations are also common in various autoimmune neurological syndromes, but may be underestimated as overriding presenting (and potentially dangerous) neurological symptoms often require more urgent attention. Even so, sleep dysfunction has been described with various neural-specific antibody biomarkers, including IgLON5; leucine-rich, glioma-inactivated protein 1 (LGI1); contactin-associated protein 2 (CASPR2); N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-receptor; Ma2; dipeptidyl-peptidase-like protein-6 (DPPX); alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid receptor (AMPA-R); anti-neuronal nuclear antibody type-1 (ANNA-1, i.e., Hu); anti-neuronal nuclear antibody type-2 (ANNA-2, i.e., Ri); gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)-B-receptor (GABA-B-R); metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 (mGluR5); and aquaporin-4 (AQP-4). Given potentially distinctive findings, it is possible that sleep testing could potentially provide objective biomarkers (polysomnography, quantitative muscle activity during REM sleep, cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin-1) to support an autoimmune diagnosis, monitor therapeutic response, or disease progression/relapse. However, more comprehensive characterization of sleep manifestations is needed to better understand the underlying sleep disruption with neurological autoimmunity.

Psychiatric Sequelae of Guillain-Barré Syndrome: Towards a Multidisciplinary Team Approach

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is a post-infectious autoimmune polyneuropathy. Recent research has highlighted that GBS is associated with the onset of psychiatric symptoms which represent a burden for patients and close relatives. However, acute psychiatric sequelae due to GBS may be misinterpreted as ‘intensive care unit (ICU) delirium’. This review outlines the existing evidence for the psychiatric symptoms associated with GBS with a view to improving psychoeducation of patients. The main psychiatric symptoms of GBS that have been reported in the literature include, stress, anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep abnormalities, visual hallucinations, paranoid delusions, disorientation, terror and psychosis. These psychiatric symptoms, which occur during the acute phase of GBS, if not recognised and treated, may progress to long-term psychiatric problems that interfere with improvement of physical symptoms. A multidisciplinary team approach to the management of GBS may improve both physical and psychiatric recovery.

Sleep and neurological autoimmune diseases

Neurological autoimmune diseases are characterized by an inappropriate immune response that by mistake targets the nervous system. As a result, patients experiment a number of neurological manifestations that may include insomnia, excessive daytime sleepiness, cataplexy, central hypoventilation, and REM sleep behavior disorder. Polysomnographic evaluation may reveal disorganized sleep architecture involving both NREM and REM sleep, and REM sleep intrusions into wakefulness. The study of sleep disorders in the setting of autoimmune diseases (e.g., narcolepsy, anti-IgLON5 disease, paraneoplastic neurological syndromes) shows that an abnormal immune-mediated (humoral or cellular) response target the neuronal structures (e.g., brainstem, hypothalamus) and neurotransmitters systems (e.g., hypocretin) that regulate sleep resulting in sleep impairment. It is a window to examine the link between the autoimmune system and the sleep regulation at the molecular, cellular, and anatomic level.

Sleep and psychiatric abnormalities in Gullian Barré Syndrome

Background

The sensori-motor manifestations of Guillain Barré Syndrome (GBS) are usually severe enough to mask the psychiatric and sleep problems which are in need for more attention for better functional outcome.

Methods

This study was performed on 20 GBS patients and 10 healthy controls. Patients were evaluated initially before immunotherapy using the Overall Disability Sum Score (ODSS), Neuropathy Pain Scale (NPS), Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAS), Montgomery–Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and one-night polysomnography (PSG) followed by the multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) to evaluate the mean sleep latencies. Reevaluation was done using the same parameters 1 month after completing immunotherapy.

Results

The study showed significant increase in HAS in GBS patients which were positively correlated with the degree of motor disability. The mean sleep latencies of MSLT were significantly shortened and PSG showed shortening of the total sleep time, sleep efficiency, lowest O₂ saturation and pulse transit time with increased wake after sleep onset, sleep stage transition index, apnea hypopnea index, desaturation index, arousal index, snore index and periodic limb movement index. One month after immunotherapy, the anxiety symptoms and sleep abnormalities showed non-significant improvements which were not correlated with the improvements in the sensori-motor manifestations.

Conclusions

GBS patients usually have sleep and psychiatric abnormalities which may take longer time to improve than the sensori-motor manifestations. So, they need more attention in the management protocol for early patients’ independence and return to usual daily activities.

Risk of psychiatric disorders in Guillain-Barre syndrome: A nationwide, population-based, cohort study

BACKGROUND

Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS) is a rare immune-related neurological disorder with high mortality and morbidity, but the comorbid psychiatric disorders garnered little attention in the GBS patients. This study aimed to investigate the association between GBS and the risk of developing psychiatric disorders.

METHODS

A total of 18,192 enrolled patients, with 4548 study subjects who had suffered GBS, and 13,644 controls matched for gender and age, from the Inpatient Dataset of 2000-2013 in Taiwan, and selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). After adjusting for confounding factors, Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to compare the risk of developing psychiatric disorders during the 13years of follow-up.

RESULTS

Of the study subjects, 471 (10.35%) developed psychiatric disorders when compared to 1023 (7.50%) in the control group. Fine and Gray's competing risk model analysis revealed that the study subjects were more likely to develop psychiatric disorders (crude hazard ratio [HR]: 4.281 (95% CI=3.819-4.798, p<0.001). After adjusting for gender, age, monthly income, urbanization level, geographic region, and comorbidities, the adjusted HR was 4.320 (95% CI=3.852-4.842, p<0.001). Dementia, depressive disorders, sleep disorders, and psychotic disorders predominate in these psychiatric disorders. Mechanical ventilation and hemodialysis are associated with a lower risk of dementia when compared to the control groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients who suffered from GBS had a higher risk of developing psychiatric disorders, and this finding should act as a reminder to the clinicians that a regular psychiatric follow-up might well be needed for those patients.

Propofol and sufentanil may affect the patients' sleep quality independently of the surgical stress response: a prospective nonrandomized controlled trial in 1033 patients' undergone diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy

Background

It is unknown whether sedative per se contributes to the postoperative sleep disturbance. Diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy (UGE) is a minimally invasive procedure which is not likely to cause tissue trauma and pain. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the sleep quality of patients undergoing routine (without sedative) diagnostic UGE or UGE with sedative, before, 1 week, and 1 month after the procedure.

Methods

One thousand and thirty-three patients undergoing UGE were enrolled. Patients chose sedative or without sedative. Propofol and sufentanil were administered to the sedative group, not allowed for the routine group. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was measured before, 1 week and 1 month after the procedure.

Results

Five hundred and ten patients were enrolled in the sedative group and 523 in the routine group. One week after the procedure, patients in the sedative group showed significantly higher PSQI scores (worse sleep quality) than the baseline PSQI scores (p < 0.001), but there was no significant change for the routine group in the same period (p = 0.096). One month after the procedure, there was no significant difference in PSQI scores between the two groups compared with the baseline values (p = 0.358 for sedative group, p = 0.161 for routine group). There were also no significant difference in the PSQI scores between the two groups in the entire 1 month follow-up period (p = 0.885).

Conclusions

The sedative group showed impaired sleep quality 1 week after diagnostic UGE. Propofol and sufentanil may independently affect the sleep quality of patients after sedative of diagnostic UGE for only one week.

Trial registration

This study is registered on Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (IDChiCTR-OCH-13003128). Registered 2 April 2013.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12871-017-0341-3) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Neuropsychiatric manifestations in inflammatory neuropathies: A systematic review

We conducted a systematic literature review on psychological and behavioral comorbidities in patients with inflammatory neuropathies. In Guillain–Barré syndrome (GBS), psychotic symptoms are reported during early stages in 30% of patients. Typical associations include mechanical ventilation, autonomic dysfunction, inability to communicate, and severe weakness. Anxiety and depression are frequent comorbidities. Anxiety may increase post‐hospital admissions and be a predictor of mechanical ventilation. Posttraumatic stress disorder may affect up to 20% of ventilated patients. Sleep disturbances are common in early‐stage GBS, affecting up to 50% of patients. In chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy, memory and quality of sleep may be impaired. An independent link between depression and pretreatment upper limb disability and ascites was reported in POEMS (polyneuropathy, organomegaly, endocrinopathy, M‐protein, skin) syndrome, with an association with early death. Hematological treatment of POEMS appears effective on depression. Published literature on psychological/behavioral manifestations in inflammatory neuropathies remains scarce, and further research is needed. Muscle Nerve54: 1–8, 2016

Louis EK. Neuromuscular disorders and sleep in critically ill patients

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a frequent presenting manifestation of neuromuscular disorders and can lead to significant morbidity and mortality. If not recognized and addressed early in the clinical course, SDB can lead to clinical deterioration with respiratory failure. The pathophysiologic basis of SDB in neuromuscular disorders, clinical features encountered in specific neuromuscular diseases, and diagnostic and management strategies for SDB in neuromuscular patients in the critical care setting are reviewed. Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation has been a crucial advance in critical care management, improving sleep quality and often preventing or delaying mechanical ventilation and improving survival in neuromuscular patients.