Different diagnostic criteria for periodic leg movements in patients with obstructive sleep apnea after continuous positive airway pressure titration

An expedited model for identifying potential patients with periodic leg movements

Periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS) may have crucial consequences in adults. This study aimed to identify baseline characteristics, symptoms, or questionnaires that could help to identify sleep-disordered breathing patients with significant PLMS. Patients aged 20-80 years who underwent polysomnography for assessing sleep disturbance were included. Various factors such as sex, age, body measurements, symptoms, apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and sleep quality scales were analysed to determine the presence of PLMS. The study included 1480 patients with a mean age of 46.4 ± 13.4 years, among whom 110 (7.4%) had significant PLMS with a PLM index of 15 or higher. There were no significant differences observed in terms of sex or BMI between patients with and without significant PLMS. However, the odds ratios (OR) for PLMS were 4.33, 4.41, and 4.23 in patients who were aged over 50 years, had insomnia, or had an ESS score of less than 10, respectively. Notably, the OR increased up to 67.89 times in patients who presented with all three risk factors. Our analysis identified significant risk factors for PLMS: age over 50, self-reported insomnia, and lower daytime sleepiness levels. These findings aid in identifying potential PLMS patients, facilitating confirmatory examinations and managing associated comorbidities.

Sleep Architecture and Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders of Seafarers on Board Merchant Ships: A Polysomnographic Pilot Field Study on the High Seas

As seafarers are assumed to have an increased risk profile for sleep-related breathing disorders, this cross-sectional observational study measured (a) the feasibility and quality of polysomnography (PSG) on board merchant ships, (b) sleep macro- and microarchitecture, (c) sleep-related breathing disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), using the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and (d) subjective and objective sleepiness using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and pupillometry. Measurements were carried out on two container ships and a bulk carrier. A total of 19 out of 73 male seafarers participated. The PSG's signal qualities and impedances were comparable to those in a sleep laboratory without unusual artifacts. Compared to the normal population, seafarers had a lower total sleep time, a shift of deep sleep phases in favor of light sleep phases as well as an increased arousal index. Additionally, 73.7% of the seafarers were diagnosed with at least mild OSA (AHI ≥ 5) and 15.8% with severe OSA (AHI ≥ 30). In general, seafarers slept in the supine position with a remarkable frequency of breathing cessations. A total of 61.1% of the seafarers had increased subjective daytime sleepiness (ESS > 5). Pupillometry results for objective sleepiness revealed a mean relative pupillary unrest index (rPUI) of 1.2 (SD 0.7) in both occupational groups. In addition, significantly poorer objective sleep quality was found among the watchkeepers. A need for action with regard to poor sleep quality and daytime sleepiness of seafarers on board is indicated. A slightly increased prevalence of OSA among seafarers is likely.

Periodic limb movement index and severity of obstructive sleep apnea

Background

Periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) are two frequent coincident sleep disorders. The association of PLMS with OSAS severity and predictors of PLMS in OSAS patients were investigated.

Material and method

This is a retrospective study that enrolled adult patients ≥ 16 years old who visited the sleep unit at Mouwasat Hospital, Saudi Arabia, between January 2021 and October 2021. All were subjected to full medical history, clinical examination, Epworth Sleepiness (ESS), STOP-Bang questionnaires, and standard overnight polysomnography. Subjects were subdivided into two groups based on PSG findings: group I, OSA patients (153). Patients were classified into mild n = 57 (AHI ≥ 5 and < 15), moderate n = 35 (AHI ≥ 15 and < 30), and severe n = 61 (AHI ≥ 30). Group II, control group included 100 subjects.

Result

There was a higher frequency of PLMS in OSA patients vs control group (with a statistically significant value). The study showed a statistically significantly positive correlation between PLMI and each of AHI, hypopnea index, desaturation index, and PLMs with arousal index, in contrast; it had a statistically significantly negative correlation with BMI among the OSA group. By performing multivariate logistic regression to predict the possible factors associated with the existence of PLMS among the OSA group, it was showed that the apnea index and desaturation index were statistically significant predictors.

Conclusion

The present study showed that OSA patients with PLM were older; had greater AHI, hypopnea index, desaturation index, and PLMs with arousal index; and had lower BMI. Further studies are needed for better understanding this complex relationship.

Sleep pattern in a group of patients undergoing hemodialysis compared to control

Background

Patients with chronic kidney disease progress regularly every year to end-stage renal disease and have to undergo dialysis. Sleep disturbances have been reported to be frequent among patients receiving dialysis and contributing to the increase of their mortality and morbidity. The present research aimed to study the sleep pattern in hemodialysis patients and the risk factors associated. This cross-sectional case-control study included 40 subjects divided into 2 groups: 20 cases recruited from Ain Shams University Hospital’s dialysis unit and 20 in the control group with normal Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score matched for age and sex. Both groups were subjected to overnight polysomnography, and the cases group was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to determine their sleep quality.

Results

Nearly all polysomnographic parameters were significantly abnormal in the cases group except for sleep onset latency (P > 0.05), showing obstructive sleep apnea and periodic limb movement (P value 0.001). Based on their Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score, 30% were classified as good sleepers and 70% as bad sleepers. On comparing both groups, a significant difference was found. Poor sleepers had more worse sleep efficiency (62.9%), spent longer time during their sleep in stage 1 (26.6%) with shorter REM onset latency (113.5 ± 99.5), and had a longer duration of illness with lower serum creatinine level compared to good sleepers.

Conclusions

The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea and periodic limb movement in hemodialysis patients is high; patients with longer time on dialysis are at more risk of sleep disorders, whereas hemoglobin levels, BUN, and other demographic factors do not seem to play a role in sleep disorder. Hence, patients on hemodialysis need to be screened for sleep disorders so as to improve their mortality and morbidity.

Current Management of Residual Excessive Daytime Sleepiness Due to Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Insights for Optimizing Patient Outcomes

Although excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) attributable to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can be resolved by consistent usage of and effective treatment (often with the use of continuous positive airway pressure therapy), 12–58% of patients report residual EDS (REDS). While REDS is difficult to treat, a proportion of cases are possibly due to reversible issues, and wake-promoting medications can prove useful for the remaining cases. Given the challenges associated with effective management of REDS and its relationship to multiple comorbidities, multidisciplinary management of patients with REDS is often recommended. Here we aim to bridge the knowledge gap on the burden, risk factors, prevalence, and potential pathophysiologic mechanisms of REDS in patients with OSA after first-line treatment. The roles of primary care physicians and sleep specialists, as well as the importance of the use of objective assessment tools for the evaluation of REDS and the effective management of comorbidities, are discussed. An update of approved treatments and emerging candidate treatments is also presented.

Comorbid Insomnia and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (COMISA): Current Concepts of Patient Management

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and insomnia are the two most common sleep disorders among the general population, and they may often coexist in patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). The higher prevalence of insomnia symptoms in patients with OSA (40–60%) compared to that observed in the general population has thus led researchers to identify a new disorder named comorbid insomnia and OSA (COMISA), whose true burden has been so far largely underestimated. The combined treatment of COMISA patients with positive-airway pressure ventilation (PAP) with cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTi) has shown a better patient outcome compared to that obtained with a single treatment. Furthermore, recent evidence has shown that an innovative patient-centered approach taking into consideration patient characteristics, treatment preferences and accessibility to treatment is recommended to optimize clinical management of COMISA patients. However, in this complex mosaic, many other sleep disorders may overlap with COMISA, so there is an urgent need for further research to fully understand the impact of these therapies on outcomes for OSA patients with comorbidity. In light of this need, this review focuses on the major sleep disorders comorbid with OSA and the recent advances in the management of these insomniac patients.

Different scoring rules for respiratory event-related leg movements: effects on the prevalence of periodic limb movements during sleep and their association with depressive symptoms in patients with obstructive sleep apnea

BACKGROUND

We compared the prevalence of periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS) according to two different scoring rules of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) 2012 and World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) 2016 and determined their association with depressed mood in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

METHODS

PLMS, defined as a periodic leg movements index of >15, were diagnosed on a diagnostic and continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) titration polysomnography using the AASM 2012 and WASM 2016 rules. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) were used, and multiple regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Among 160 OSA patients, the proportion with PLMS scored by the WASM 2016 criteria was significantly higher than that scored by the AASM 2012 criteria in a diagnostic study (20.6% vs. 16.3%, respectively; P = 0.016) but not in CPAP titration study and only in patients with severe OSA. In adjusted models, PLMS were positively associated with BDI scores and a BDI of ≥10 on both diagnostic and CPAP titration studies when scored by the WASM 2016. By contrast, when scored by the AASM 2012, PLMS were associated with BDI scores (but not BDI of ≥10) only in a CPAP titration study.

CONCLUSIONS

There are significant differences in the prevalence of PLMS and their association with depressed mood depending on the scoring rules in patients with OSA. The current AASM scoring criteria underestimate the prevalence of PLMS, and PLMS are more likely associated with depressed mood according to the WASM scoring criteria.

Sleep apnea syndrome comorbid with and without restless legs syndrome: differences in insomnia specific symptoms

OBJECTIVE

Sleep Apnea Syndrome (SAS) is frequently comorbid with Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). Both disorders are associated with disturbed sleep. However, data about insomnia specific symptoms in patients suffering from both sleep disorders (SAS-RLS) are rare.

METHODS

In a restrospective design, we investigated 202 patients suffering from SAS and SAS-RLS. All patients underwent polysomnography, performed a vigilance test (Quatember-Maly), and completed the Regensburg Insomnia Scale (RIS), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), and a Morning Questionnaire (FZN). Differences in insomnia specific symptoms between SAS and SAS-RLS were calculated using ANOVA. In a secondary analysis, the differences in daytime sleepiness and depression were analyzed.

RESULTS

Of 202 patients, 42 (21%) had SAS-RLS. The proportion of women (60%) with SASRLS was higher than for men (40%) while men had had a higher proportion (71%) of SAS alone compared to women (29%), p < 0.0005. The RIS score was higher in SAS-RLS than in SAS. No differences were found in PSG data, ESS, BDI-II, or vigilance tests.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with both disorders SAS and RLS show a higher degree of insomnia-specific symptoms than for SAS alone and may profit from additional insomnia specific treatment.