A screening questionnaire for generalized tonic-clonic seizures: Hospital-based validation vs field-validation method

Prevalence of isolated RBD in the city of Catania, Italy: a population-based study

STUDY OBJECTIVES

Few studies have analyzed the prevalence of isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) giving different estimates. Aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of isolated RBD in the city of Catania.

METHODS

A three-stage design was adopted. Participants attending the cabinets of General Practitioners in the city of Catania were screened with the RBD1Q questionnaire (Stage I). Positive participants were interviewed by phone and if suspected of RBD, were invited for clinical examination by a movement disorders specialist and a sleep specialist (Stage II). After the clinical examination, patients diagnosed as probable isolated RBD (pRBD) were invited to undergo a video polysomnography (VPSG) (Stage III) to confirm the diagnosis of definite RBD (dRBD).

RESULTS

A total of 1,524 participants have been screened. Of these, 220 (14.4%) screened positive. One-hundred-forty-three of them were further screened by phone, of whom 75 were suspected RBD. Thirty-six patients were diagnosed as pRBD giving a prevalence of 2.36% (95%CI 1.71-3.25). Twelve pRBD agreed to a VPSG and, of these, four were diagnosed as dRBD giving a prevalence of 0.26% (95%CI 0.07-0.67). Prevalence adjusted by non-participants was 3.48% (95%CI 2.67-4.52) and 1.18% (95%CI 0.45-1.37) for pRBD and dRBD respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Prevalence of both pRBD and dRBD in Italy is comparable to the estimates reported in literature, confirming that isolated RBD has a low prevalence in the general population.

Standard procedures for the diagnostic pathway of sleep-related epilepsies and comorbid sleep disorders: A European Academy of Neurology, European Sleep Research Society and International League against Epilepsy-Europe consensus review

BACKGROUND

Some epilepsy syndromes (sleep-related epilepsies [SRE]) have a strong link with sleep. Comorbid sleep disorders are common in patients with SRE and can exert a negative impact on seizure control and quality of life.

PURPOSES

To define the standard procedures for the diagnostic pathway of patients with possible SRE (scenario 1) and the general management of patients with SRE and comorbidity with sleep disorders (scenario 2).

METHODS

The project was conducted under the auspices of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN), the European Sleep Research Society (ESRS) and the International League against Epilepsy (ILAE) Europe. The framework of the document entailed the following phases: conception of the clinical scenarios; literature review; statements regarding the standard procedures. For literature search a step-wise approach starting from systematic reviews to primary studies was applied. Published studies were identified from the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE database and Cochrane Library.

RESULTS

Scenario 1: despite a low quality of evidence, recommendations on anamnestic evaluation, tools for capturing the event at home or in the laboratory are provided for specific SRE. Scenario 2: Early diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders (especially respiratory disorders) in patients with SRE are likely to be beneficial for seizures control.

CONCLUSIONS

Definitive procedures for evaluating patients with SRE are lacking. We provide advice that could be of help for standardising and improving the diagnostic approach of specific SRE. The importance of identifying and treating specific sleep disorders for the management and outcome of patients with SRE is underlined.

Standard procedures for the diagnostic pathway of sleep-related epilepsies and comorbid sleep disorders: an EAN, ESRS and ILAE-Europe consensus review

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Some epilepsy syndromes (sleep-related epilepsies, SREs) have a strong link with sleep. Comorbid sleep disorders are common in patients with SRE and can exert a negative impact on seizure control and quality of life. Our purpose was to define the standard procedures for the diagnostic pathway of patients with possible SRE (scenario 1) and the general management of patients with SRE and comorbidity with sleep disorders (scenario 2).

METHODS

The project was conducted under the auspices of the European Academy of Neurology, the European Sleep Research Society and the International League Against Epilepsy Europe. The framework entailed the following phases: conception of the clinical scenarios; literature review; statements regarding the standard procedures. For the literature search a stepwise approach starting from systematic reviews to primary studies was applied. Published studies were identified from the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE database and Cochrane Library.

RESULTS

Scenario 1: Despite a low quality of evidence, recommendations on anamnestic evaluation and tools for capturing the event at home or in the laboratory are provided for specific SREs. Scenario 2: Early diagnosis and treatment of sleep disorders (especially respiratory disorders) in patients with SRE are likely to be beneficial for seizure control.

CONCLUSIONS

Definitive procedures for evaluating patients with SRE are lacking. Advice is provided that could be of help for standardizing and improving the diagnostic approach of specific SREs. The importance of identifying and treating specific sleep disorders for the management and outcome of patients with SRE is underlined.