title: Sleep disorders in patients with myasthenia gravis: a systematic review.
abstract: [Purpose] This systematic review evaluated the presence of sleep-disordered breathing in patients with myasthenia gravis and clarified the role of physiotherapy. [Subjects and Methods] We followed the PRISMA declaration criteria. The evaluation was performed in accordance with the STROBE statement for observational and cross-sectional studies and the CONSORT checklist for clinical trials. Searches were followed by hand on MEDLINE, EMBASE, SciELO, PubMed Central, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. [Results] Our searches yielded a total of 36 studies published between 1970 and 2014. The number of patients involved ranged from 9-490. Of the 36 studies, 19 articles were excluded because they did not meet the inclusion criteria. Therefore, 17 observational, cross-sectional, or clinical studies assessing the quality of sleep and prevalence of sleep disorders in patients with myasthenia gravis were eligible for our review. [Conclusion] Some studies of patients with MG show that patients with MG are associated with poor sleep quality, excessive daytime sleepiness, presence of restless syndrome, and a higher incidence of SDB, while other studies do not report such associations. Therefore, given the current inconclusive evidence and limited literature, further study of sleep disturbances in patients with MG is needed.
authors.affiliation: Sleep Laboratory, Rehabilitation Sciences Master's and PhD Degree Program, Nove de Julho University, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ezequiel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fernandes Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Sleep Laboratory, Rehabilitation Sciences Master's and PhD Degree Program, Nove de Julho University, Brazil.
authors.forename: Sergio R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Nacif
authors.affiliation: Sleep Laboratory, Rehabilitation Sciences Master's and PhD Degree Program, Nove de Julho University, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nixon
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Alves Pereira
authors.affiliation: Sleep Laboratory, Rehabilitation Sciences Master's and PhD Degree Program, Nove de Julho University, Brazil.
authors.forename: Nina Teixeira
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Fonseca
authors.affiliation: Sleep Laboratory, Rehabilitation Sciences Master's and PhD Degree Program, Nove de Julho University, Brazil.
authors.forename: Jéssica Julioti
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Urbano
authors.affiliation: Sleep Laboratory, Rehabilitation Sciences Master's and PhD Degree Program, Nove de Julho University, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eduardo Araújo
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Perez
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuromuscular Disorders, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Brazil.
authors.forename: Valéria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Cavalcante
authors.affiliation: Sleep Laboratory, Rehabilitation Sciences Master's and PhD Degree Program, Nove de Julho University, Brazil.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Santos Oliveira
authors.affiliation: National Research Council of Italy, Institute of Biomedicine and Molecular Immunology "A. Monroy", Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Insalaco
authors.affiliation: Division of Neuromuscular Disorders, Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Federal University of Sao Paulo (UNIFESP), Brazil.
authors.forename: Acary Sousa Bulle
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.affiliation: Sleep Laboratory, Rehabilitation Sciences Master's and PhD Degree Program, Nove de Julho University, Brazil.
authors.forename: Luis Vicente Franco
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Oliveira
keywords: Myasthenia gravis; Neuromuscular disorders; Obstructive sleep apnea