Assessment of sleep-related disorders in children with sickle cell disease

Sleep-related disorders (SRDs) are common in sickle cell disease, however, identification may be time-consuming. Simultaneous survey of multiple SRDs utilizing a simplified instrument would facilitate screening. A simplified questionnaire investigating SRDs [sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), restless legs syndrome (RLS), insomnia, parasomnias, and daytime effects of disrupted sleep] was administered to 2-18-year-old children with sickle cell disease. One hundred participants completed this 5-7 minute survey without difficulties: 54 awoke unrefreshed, 41 had short-term insomnia, 30 had sleep-maintenance insomnia, 21 had chronic sleep-onset insomnia, 54 had chronic habitual snoring and 11 met the criteria for RLS. Sleep-maintenance insomnia was associated with increased body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.001), and chronic sleep-onset insomnia was associated with higher hemoglobin (Hb) levels (p = 0.04). Survey-reported symptoms of SRDs were significantly higher than that reported in the general pediatric population. A fast and simplified SRD survey is feasible and suggests a high prevalence of SRDs in children with sickle cell disease.