Sleep in patients with treated Wilson's disease. A questionnaire study.

OBJECTIVE

To examine general sleep habits and sleep disturbances among patients with treated Wilson's disease (WD), and in comparison with an age- and sex-matched reference group (RG).

METHODS

Twenty-four patients with WD with a mean (+/-s) age of 35.1 +/- 8.7 years and a disease duration of 17.7 +/- 5.1 years were investigated using a standardized sleep questionnaire comprising 87 questions concerning sleep habits, sleeping difficulties, demographic and lifestyle variables. The results were compared with those from a random sample of 72 individuals.

RESULTS

There was no significant difference in sleep time during the night, but WD patients had a significantly greater number of nocturnal awakenings compared with the RG. Fifty-nine per cent of the WD patients reported frequently being awake for more than 30 min during the night. Number of nocturnal awakenings was correlated to nightmares and palpitations only in the WD group. WD patients complained significantly more often than the RG over not feeling rested after sleep, taking frequent naps and fatigue during the daytime. Moreover, sleep paralysis and cataplexy occurred more often in the WD patients than in the RG.

CONCLUSION

The sleep pattern of patients with treated WD differed from that of the reference group. The spectrum of reported symptoms by patients with treated WD suggests an altered REM sleep function. Future studies with objective methods are required to elucidate the mechanisms involved.