Sleep disturbances among 4- to 12-year-old Filipino children with drug resistant epilepsy in a pediatric tertiary hospital

Objectives@#To perform a pilot study on the frequency of sleep-disturbance (Total sleep Disturbance Score (TSD) of > 41) in children diagnosed with Drug Resistant Epilepsy aged 4 to 12 years, using the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ).@*Methodology@#The Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) was used to screen for sleep disturbances among 73 patients aged 4 to 12 years old with drug-resistant epilepsy seen at the Seizure Clinic of Philippine Children’s Medical Center. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize sociodemographic variables, and sleep and epilepsy-related variables. Continuous data were presented as mean ± standard deviation (SD), and categorical data as frequencies (percentages).@*Results@#Sleep disturbances were common and severe in children with drug-resistant epilepsy. Out of the seventy-three participants, 61 patients had a TSD score of greater than 41 (84%) and 12 (16%) had TSD scores below 41 with a mean CSHQ score of 58. The most frequently occurring sleep disturbances involve the domains of bedtime resistance (29%), night wakings (28%), and daytime sleepiness (23%). Meanwhile, the least frequently occurring sleep disturbances involve the domains of sleep disordered breathing (76%), parasomnias (65%), and sleep anxiety (56%).@*Conclusion@#Majority of the children with drug-resistant epilepsy are sleep disturbed exhibiting high TSD scores (>41) using the Children’s Sleep Habits Questionnaire. We recommend to actively evaluate and screen for sleep and behavioral problems concurrently in children with epilepsy.

Ovarian new growth in progeria

@#The Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare genetic disease that involves singlebase gene mutation in the LMNA gene which results in the production of a dysfunctional and mutant lamin A protein called progerin. Progerin is found in increased concentration in normal older individuals hence patients present with phenotypic signs of aging. [1] Based on current studies, there is no established predisposition and association between abdominal masses, specifically ovarian masses in female, adolescent, progeria patients. This is an adolescent female patient with progeria presenting with an ovarian mass. Further studies to establish the correlation between Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) and abdominal masses specifically masses in the reproductive system have yet to be done. The exact mechanism by which progeria patients become predisposed to developing abdominal masses, specifically ovarian masses is still a grey area in research. Through this case report, routine abdominal ultrasound screening or routine abdominal CT scan can be done to screen for presence of masses in HGPS patients.