The morbidity of insomnia uncomplicated by psychiatric disorders.

The morbidity of sleep problems has been well documented; however, they are frequently associated with and are symptomatic of several psychiatric disorders. It is unclear how much of the morbidity can be accounted for by the associated psychiatric and substance abuse disorders and medical problems, and how much by the sleep problems per se. Sleep problems may also be an early sign of a psychiatric problem. This paper reports data from an epidemiologic community survey of over 10,000 adults living in three U.S. communities. A structured diagnostic assessment of psychiatric disorders as well as assessment of the presence of insomnia not due to medical conditions, medication, drug or alcohol abuse, and a 1-year follow-up were completed. Persons with insomnia in the past year without any psychiatric disorders ever (uncomplicated insomnia); with a psychiatric disorder in the past year (complicated insomnia); and with neither insomnia nor psychiatric disorders ever were compared on treatment utilization and the first onset of a psychiatric disorder in the subsequent year. Eight percent of those with uncomplicated as compared with 14.9% with complicated insomnia and 2.5% with neither had sought treatment from the general medical sector for emotional problems in the 6 months prior to the interview. The rates of treatment sought from the psychiatric specialty sector were 3.8%, 9.4%, and 1.2%, respectively. These differences were significant after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and were sustained when the persons were interviewed 1 year later. Uncomplicated insomnia was also associated with an increase in risk for first onset of major depression, panic disorder, and alcohol abuse over the following year. Insomnia, even in the absence of psychiatric disorders, is associated with increased use of general medical and mental health treatment for emotional problems and for the subsequent first onset in the following year of some psychiatric disorders. Early diagnosis and treatment of uncomplicated insomnia may be useful.

Diagnosis and treatment of sleep apnea within the community. The Walla Walla Project.

BACKGROUND: Patients with sleep disorders are common in primary care, yet most physicians lack training in the diagnosis and treatment of such patients. OBJECTIVES: To enhance recognition of sleep disorders by community physicians and transfer the diagnostic testing and care of such patients from tertiary care centers to the local community. To present our polysomnogram experience relevant to sleep apnea. METHODS: Sleep disorders specialists provided a community with education, diagnostic equipment, and ongoing support as sleep disorders expertise was established locally. Outcomes for a 2-year period were assessed by chart review, patient questionnaire, tabulation of polysomnographic data, and comparison with published reports from specialized centers. RESULTS: Referral for sleep testing increased by almost 8-fold in patients at the Walla Walla Clinic in Walla Walla, Wash, from 0.27% (2 of 752 cases reviewed) to 2.1% (294 of 14330 internal medicine patients). Data were collected from all community physicians for a 2-year period on 360 new patients who underwent polysomnogram testing. This resulted in the diagnosis of sleep-related breathing disorders in 81% and periodic leg movements of sleep in 18%. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure treatment was given to 228 patients (average baseline apnea index of 19.1), representing a higher volume of patients than at many traditional sleep centers, yet compliance with continuous positive airway pressure was comparable. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep apnea is significantly underrecognized by primary care physicians. As a result of the intervention, local sleep expertise was established and large numbers of patients were discovered and treated in the community. Thus, a significant public health problem is identified and a solution established.

Portable recording in the assessment of obstructive sleep apnea. ASDA standards of practice.

The objective assessment of patients with a presumptive diagnosis of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has primarily used attended polysomnographic study. Recent technologic advances and issues of availability, convenience and cost have led to a rapid increase in the use of portable recording devices. However, limited scientific information has been published regarding the evaluation of the efficacy, accuracy, validity, utility, cost effectiveness and limitations of this portable equipment. Attaining a clear assessment of the role of portable devices is complicated by the multiplicity of recording systems and the variability of clinical settings in which they have been analyzed. This paper reviews the current knowledge base regarding portable recording in the assessment of OSA, including technical considerations, validation studies, potential advantages and disadvantages, issues of safety, current clinical usage and areas most in need of further study.

The Sleep Disorders Questionnaire. I: Creation and multivariate structure of SDQ.

The development of the Sleep Disorders Questionnaire (SDQ) from the Sleep Questionnaire and Assessment of Wakefulness (SQAW) of Stanford University is described in detail. The extraction of the best question items from the SQAW and their subsequent rewording in the SDQ to insure greater completion rates are described. Two item test-retest reliability studies are reported on 71 controls and on 130 sleep-disorder patients, which confirmed adequate reliability. To create multivariate scoring scales, SDQ was then given in a multicenter study to 519 persons, 435 of whom were sleep-disorder patients with full polysomnography. Canonical Discriminant Function Analysis was employed, which resulted in four clinical-diagnostic scales: SA for sleep apnea, NAR for narcolepsy, PSY for psychiatric sleep disorder and PLM for periodic limb movement disorder. Each was adjusted for male and female responses and transformed to a percentile using the observed distribution of raw scores. Using Receiver Operating Characteristics analysis, cutoff points were determined for each scale to maximize its sensitivity and specificity. Positive and negative predictive values were also calculated. The SA and NAR scales proved to be the most discriminating.

Diagnosis and treatment of insomnia and risks associated with lack of treatment.

Despite the fact that the prevalence rate for insomnia in the United States is high (35.2%), the number of patients with this condition do not represent a large percentage of patients evaluated and treated in sleep disorders clinics. On the other hand, the great majority of patients with insomnia do not seek treatment for their condition from their physicians. Several hypotheses have been created to explain this phenomenon: (1) lack of training for physicians in the area of sleep disorders, (2) pessimism in relation to treatment outcome shared by patients and physicians, and (3) time constraints and other reasons on the part of the physicians. Insomniacs, however, deserve accurate diagnosis and effective treatments for their condition. Insomnia is often the result of multiple factors converging rather than one single cause. For academic purposes, however, different disorders in difficulties with initiation and maintenance of sleep are discussed. Among them, adjustment sleep disorder, obstructive sleep apnea, periodic limb movements in sleep, circadian abnormalities, and psychiatric disturbances. Emphasis is placed on the treatment of each, along with the treatment of the other factors that are commonly found in patients with insomnia: poor sleep hygiene, use of medications that disrupt sleep, performance anxiety, deficient exposure to entrainers of circadian rhythms, diet, and exercise. A comprehensive treatment that includes a multifactorial approach is the ideal way to treat patients with insomnia. Research that will enhance our knowledge of the biological substrate of insomnia will provide clinicians with additional tools to improve the outcome of their treatments of patients with insomnia.

Validity and reliability of a scale to assess fatigue.

A visual analogue scale to evaluate fatigue severity (VAS-F) was developed and tested in a sample of 75 healthy individuals and a sample of 57 patients undergoing medical evaluation for sleep disorders. The scale consists of 18 items related to fatigue and energy, has simple instructions, and is completed with minimal time and effort. The VAS-F compares favorably with the Stanford Sleepiness Scale and the Profile of Mood States, and its internal consistency reliabilities are high. Healthy subjects demonstrated significant differences between their evening and morning scores on the VAS-F, while sleep-disordered patients did not.

Abundant REM sleep in a patient with Alzheimer's disease.

In patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), greatly diminished REM sleep might be expected because of the cholinergic deficit in this disease and because cholinergic agonists stimulate REM sleep in humans and animals. We present here an unusual case of neuropathologically verified AD with abundant REM sleep. We suggest 4 possible explanations for this phenomenon: (1) selective cell loss in caudal midbrain/rostral pontine structures known to control sleep; (2) development of narcolepsy; (3) unrecognized affective disorder; (4) disruption of circadian timekeeping system.

Precipitation of obstructive sleep apnea during pregnancy.

A case of severe obstructive sleep apnea developing during pregnancy is reported. A 27-year-old primigravida was well until the sixth month of pregnancy, when she developed loud snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness. Polysomnography was performed at 36 weeks' gestation and revealed severe obstructive sleep apnea. The patient was treated successfully during pregnancy with nasal continuous positive airway pressure, but continued to suffer from moderate obstructive sleep apnea after delivery. This case suggests that sleep apnea may be either precipitated or exacerbated during pregnancy.

Compliance and side effects in sleep apnea patients treated with nasal continuous positive airway pressure.

Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is an effective therapy for sleep apnea. We treated 144 patients with nasal CPAP and observed them for periods of as long as 25 months. No pneumothoraces occurred in any patient. Compliance rates were between 65% (90/139) and 83% (90/108), depending on the patient population considered. Demographic factors unrelated to discontinuing using CPAP included age, sex, and the presence of a housemate. Better-educated patients were less able to tolerate the equipment. Dry throat and nose and sore eyes were the most common side effects, but only sore eyes related to the amount of pressure. Side effects were unrelated to the number of months on the treatment, and obesity was related to higher pressures. Our study provides optimistic intermediate-term follow-up observations of patients on nasal CPAP therapy for sleep apnea. Whether adverse consequences occur over longer periods of time remains to be seen.

Nocturnal asthma: snoring, small pharynx and nasal CPAP.

We studied two populations of patients who snored and had frequent nocturnal asthma attacks: ten overweight men presenting with typical obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome, and a group of five adolescents with regular snoring and an increase in negative inspiratory oesophageal pressure during stage II non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. All subjects presented cranio-mandibular abnormalities at cephalometric evaluation, with a narrow space behind the base of the tongue. Both populations were treated with nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) during sleep. Snoring and partial or complete airway obstruction were eliminated, as were the nocturnal asthma attacks. Two adolescents treated with upper airway surgery after nasal CPAP showed no nocturnal asthma at short-term follow-up. Nasal CPAP had no effect on daytime asthma. One hypothesis is that a subgroup of asthmatic patients with small pharynxes may have enhanced vagal stimulation during sleep compared with other asthmatic patients. This enhancement would be related to the repetitive Müller manoeuvres noted with airway obstruction during sleep. Combined with the local effects of snoring, this extra vagal stimulation would be a precipitating factor in nocturnal asthma attacks.

Determinants of daytime sleepiness in obstructive sleep apnea.

To investigate determinants of daytime sleepiness in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), we studied 100 unselected OSAS patients by nocturnal polygraphic recording and the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). Data obtained were submitted to three types of analysis. Respiratory disturbance index, oxygen saturation indices, body mass index, and total nocturnal sleep time did not significantly correlate with daytime sleepiness, as measured by the MSLT. Analysis of subgroups based on weight and degree of alertness also showed a nonsignificant correlation with daytime sleepiness. The best predictor of the excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) frequently found in OSAS patients was the nocturnal polygraphic recording of the sleep disturbances and sleep structure anomalies that reflect the brain's overall dysfunction in OSAS. Understanding why an electroencephalogram arousal response occurs during sleep in association with abnormal breathing and how this response can become blunted may help us to better predict the development of EDS.

Central sleep apnea and partial obstruction of the upper airway.

Seven men with central sleep apnea underwent polygraphic monitoring during sleep for at least 3 nights, in combination with other tests. Five patients had complaints of disturbed sleep; the other 2 were selected because they had central sleep apnea caused by bilateral brainstem lesions. The first 5 had a small upper airway, documented by cephalometric roentgenograms. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure, administered to improve the suspected respiratory load during sleep, eliminated the central sleep apnea in the first 5 patients but had, as expected, no positive effect on the central apnea of the 2 patients with brainstem lesions.

The assessment of a new technology for evaluating respiratory abnormalities in sleep.

This study assessed the diagnostic utility of two technologies for evaluating respiratory abnormalities in sleep. We compared conventional polysomnography with a new, ambulatory microprocessor technology. Two key features of the comparison involved: (a) the use of multiple, skilled interpreters of each system; and (b) inter-rater agreement within the systems as a crucial test for the diagnostic utility of each. Results indicated that general categories of respiratory abnormalities could be judged more reliably than more specific categories, regardless of technology. For certain categories of respiratory abnormalities, however, inter-rater agreement with the newer technology was extremely low (e.g., reliability coefficients of .12, .09, and -0.6). Factors contributing to these low diagnostic reliabilities are discussed. Our data indicate that any assessment of new technology cannot be made apart from the clinical judgments to be rendered with that new technology. This approach may be generalizable to the assessment of other diagnostic technologies.

Alternative treatment to tracheostomy in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: nasal continuous positive airway pressure in young children.

Two groups of prepubertal children with severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome received continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment using a nasal mask. The five children in group A had nasal CPAP only in a hospital setting; the five children in group B received the treatment at home as well. Four of these five children, who have now been followed for as long as 10 months, have adapted well to the treatment at home. The problems encountered with nasal CPAP as a home treatment, such as poor cooperation from parents, allergic rashes, eye irritation resulting from air leaks, are discussed. Despite the problems, nasal CPAP is a valid alternative to tracheostomy in children as young as 3 years of age.

Sleep disturbance produced by electrical stimulation of the locus coeruleus in a human subject.

A 25-year-old man with a chronically implanted stimulating electrode placed in the region of the locus coeruleus (LC) was monitored for 5 nights in a sleep laboratory to study the role of the LC in sleep. Sleep patterns were compared between the 2 nights in which the stimulation was applied periodically every 90 min and the 2 nights in which no stimulation was applied. In contrast to the normal sleep patterns that occurred during the 2 nonstimulation nights, electrical stimulation of the LC produced a profound disruption of sleep and significant reductions in the total amounts of NREM sleep, REM sleep, REM sleep as a percent of total sleep (NREM + REM sleep), and total sleep. Results suggest that the LC has a role in maintaining normal sleep patterns.

Maxillary, mandibular, and hyoid advancement: an alternative to tracheostomy in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Nine patients with severe obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS)--for whom several therapeutic approaches, including palatopharyngoplasty, had failed--were treated with a combined maxillary, mandibular, and hyoid advancement. Objective evaluation--performed before and 4 to 18 months after surgery, using nocturnal polysomography--indicated that the OSAS had improved or had disappeared. This surgical approach is beneficial for specific cases of OSAS, which can be identified by mandatory presurgical tests.