A Device for Detecting Nighttime Apnea in People with Epilepsy Has Emerged

Researchers from Rutgers University have developed a device aimed at helping neurologists identify obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in people with epilepsy, whose seizures may be exacerbated by sleep disturbances. They published the results of their study in the scientific journal Neurology Clinical Practice.

Despite the fact that detecting and treating nighttime apnea can help control seizures of epilepsy, doctors do not often check such patients for relevant risk factors. Scientists have developed a special device that is integrated into a person's electronic medical record, which will alert neurologists to the need to check a specific patient for sleep disturbances.

Based on the results of such an examination, treatment may be conducted that will lead to improved control over seizures of epilepsy, reduce the need for anticonvulsant medications, and decrease the risk of sudden death in epilepsy.

Obstructive sleep apnea occurs when breathing is interrupted during sleep. According to experts, nearly 40% of people living with epilepsy experience nighttime apnea, which prevents doctors from adequately controlling the severity and frequency of seizures.

“Sleep disturbances are quite common among epileptics and often remain undiagnosed,” says the lead author of the study, Martha Malvi, a staff member of the neurology department at the university hospital. “Sleep and epilepsy are closely interconnected. Seizures often occur due to low oxygen levels, which are observed due to breathing stops during sleep. Therefore, lack of sleep and interruptions in sleep can contribute to an increase in seizures.”

Researchers have developed an assessment system for identifying obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, which includes twelve risk factors and is integrated into a person's electronic medical record. If a patient is found to have at least two of them, they are referred for a sleep study. Among the risk factors considered are: a body mass index over 30 kg/m2, snoring, difficulty breathing during sleep, unexplained awakenings during the night, morning headaches, dry mouth, sore throat or feeling of tightness in the chest upon waking, frequent urination at night, worsening memory and concentration, neck circumference greater than 18 cm, frequent daytime sleepiness, backward jaw displacement, and the distance from the base of the tongue to the palate.

“We found that our alert device significantly increased the detection rate among patients at risk for epilepsy who needed to be checked for sleep disturbances,” says one of the study authors, a professor of neurology at the Medical School of New Jersey. “Such screening can help with early detection and timely treatment, which in turn will improve the quality of life for patients with epilepsy and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.”

Among the epilepsy patients who were sent for a sleep study thanks to the new device, 56% were diagnosed with nighttime apnea.