Sleep disorders in post-stroke children

Abstract

Background: Current studies highlight the importance of sleep in brain tissue recovery and the generation of new neural connections after a stroke. The aim of the study is to identify sleep disorders in post-stroke children and their impact on the results of neurological recovery. Material and methods: 53 children (31 boys) aged 3 – 12 years post-stroke (after a period > 6 months). Sleep disorders were assessed using the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) and neurological deficiencies – Pediatric Stroke Outcome Measure (PSOM). The SPSS program was used for statistical analysis. Results: According to the SDSC standardized T score, 73.6% of children had poor sleep quality and 26.4% had good sleep quality. In the group of children with sleep disorders, 59% had disorders of initiation and maintenance of sleep, 28.2% – excessive daytime sleepiness, 20.5% – sleep breathing disorders. According to the scores accumulated by the PSOM assessment, 83% of children had moderate or severe deficits and 17% had good results. The Spearman correlation coefficient between SDSC and PSOM score indicated a strong positive correlation (Spearman’s rho correlation 0.82 (p < 0.001), and strongly correlates with neurological deficits. Conclusions: Sleep disorders are common in post-stroke children. In our study, 73.6% of children presented sleep disorders, which strongly correlated with neurological deficits. Management of post-stroke sleep disorders may improve neurological and long-term recovery outcomes. Awareness of the importance of sleep for post-stroke recovery should be disseminated to medical and non-medical caregivers of these patients.