title: Daytime sleepiness in de novo untreated patients with epilepsy.
abstract: The aims of our study were to evaluate excessive daytime sleepiness in a group of de novo untreated people with epilepsy using a comprehensive and standardized approach, including subjective evaluation and neurophysiological and performance tests, and to compare these results with those obtained in a control group. Forty-seven patients with epilepsy (17 affected by primary generalized epilepsy and 30 by partial epilepsy), with a new epilepsy diagnosis and never treated, and 44 controls underwent Multiple Sleep Latency Test (preceded by nocturnal polysomnography), simple/complex visual reaction times, and Epworth Sleepiness Scale evaluation. Newly diagnosed and drug-free patients with epilepsy did not differ from controls in any of the tests performed to evaluate daytime sleepiness. In clinical practice, daytime sleepiness is a well-known and frequent complaint of patients with epilepsy, but different mechanisms and causes, such as associated psychiatric or sleep disorders, nocturnal seizures, sleep fragmentation, and antiepileptic drugs, must be taken into account. Excessive daytime sleepiness should not be considered an unavoidable consequence of epilepsy. Thus, a complete diagnostic work-up in patients with epilepsy and sleepiness should be undertaken whenever possible.
authors.affiliation: Neurological Clinic, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Italy; Department of Neuroscience, AOUP, Italy; Sleep and Epilepsy Center, Neurocenter of the Southern Switzerland, Civic Hospital of Lugano, Switzerland. Electronic address: michelangelo.maestri@eoc.ch.
authors.forename: Michelangelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maestri
authors.forename: Filippo S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: Giorgi
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pizzanelli
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fabbrini
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Di Coscio
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Carnicelli
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Iacopini
authors.forename: Mauro
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manconi
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Iudice
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Galli
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bonanni
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004594:Electrophysiology; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D017286:Polysomnography; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Epilepsy; Epworth Sleepiness Scale; MSLT; Reaction times; Sleep; Sleepiness; Vigilance