Myasthenia gravis: Sleep quality, quality of life, and disease severity

• Published in: Muscle & nerve 2012-08, Vol.46 (2), p.174-180
• Main Authors: Martínez-Lapiscina, Elena Hernández, Erro, María Elena, Ayuso, Teresa, Jericó, Ivonne
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Biological and medical sciences; Cross-Sectional Studies; Disorders of higher nervous function. Focal brain diseases. Central vestibular syndrome and deafness. Brain stem syndromes; Epworth Sleepiness Scale; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health-related quality of life Myasthenia gravis; Humans; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Myasthenia Gravis - complications; Myasthenia Gravis - physiopathology; Myasthenia Gravis - psychology; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; Quality of Life - psychology; Retrospective Studies; Severity of Illness Index; Sleep - physiology; sleep disorders; Sleep Wake Disorders - complications; Sleep Wake Disorders - diagnosis; Sleep. Vigilance; Surveys and Questionnaires; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
• ISSN: 0148-639X; 1097-4598
• DOI: 10.1002/mus.23296

Introduction: There is much research on quality of life in myasthenia gravis (MG), and its relationship to disease severity is well‐established. However, evidence regarding sleep disturbance in MG is inconclusive. Methods: To evaluate sleep and quality of life among clinically stable MG patients, 54 subjects were investigated by means of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and 15‐Item‐Quality‐Of‐Life Instrument for MG (MG‐QOL15). Results: A pathological PSQI score, which was observed in 59% of patients, was increased in subjects with active disease compared with patients in clinical remission [odds ratio = 4.3; confidence interval 95% (1.0–17.6); P = 0.04]. We found a relationship between PSQI and MG‐QOL15 scores in patients with clinically active disease (r = 0.62; P < 0.001). Conclusions: Our study highlights the high prevalence of sleep disturbance among MG patients. Disease severity may be considered to be a MG‐specific risk factor for patient‐reported sleep disturbance. The MG‐QOL15 and PSQI should be used to estimate the impact of the disease on sleep and quality of life. Muscle Nerve 46: 174–180, 2012