Assessment of Sleep-Related Disorders in Children With Sickle Cell Disease

Abstract

Sleep-related disorders (SRDs) are common in sickle cell disease, however, identification may be time-consuming. Simultaneous survey of multiple SRDs utilizing a simplified instrument would facilitate screening. A simplified questionnaire investigating SRDs [sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), restless legs syndrome (RLS), insomnia, parasomnias, and daytime effects of disrupted sleep] was administered to 2–18-year-old children with sickle cell disease. One hundred participants completed this 5–7 minute survey without difficulties: 54 awoke unrefreshed, 41 had short-term insomnia, 30 had sleep-maintenance insomnia, 21 had chronic sleep-onset insomnia, 54 had chronic habitual snoring and 11 met the criteria for RLS. Sleep-maintenance insomnia was associated with increased body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.001), and chronic sleep-onset insomnia was associated with higher hemoglobin (Hb) levels (p = 0.04). Survey-reported symptoms of SRDs were significantly higher than that reported in the general pediatric population. A fast and simplified SRD survey is feasible and suggests a high prevalence of SRDs in children with sickle cell disease.

• Insomnia
• obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)
• parasomnia
• restless legs syndrome (RLS)

Acknowledgements

The authors thank Guolian Kang, Ph.D., for support with statistical analysis; Letitia Williams, M.S.A., and Amy Kimble, F.N.P., for help with patient enrollment and data collection; Paula Naidu, M.P.H., and Bertha Davis for help with data management; Terri Davis for administrative support, and Vani Shanker, Ph.D. (all at the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memphis, Tennessee, USA), for editing of the manuscript.