Background: Although recent studies have shown that poor sleep quality may have an impact on the global health status of patients with Duchenne (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD), observations of sleep disturbances in these disorders remain limited. The aim of our study was to investigate sleep quality in a population of patients with DMD and BMD.
Patients and Methods: We studied 8 patients with DMD and 17 patients with BMD (mean age 39 years). All DMD patients received non-invasive mechanical ventilation. Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), with scores greater than 5 and 7 indicating poor sleep quality, respectively. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and functional scales were also collected.
Results: The mean PSQI and ISI scores were 5.40 ± 3.28 and 4.44 ± 3.50, respectively. Based on the questionnaire used, 20% (ISI) and 44% (PSQI) of the patients reported poor sleep quality. 84% of patients had an abnormal HADS score. Positive associations were observed between sleep measures and the HADS (all p values < 0.05). There were no significant differences in sleep scores between DMD and BMD patients, nor was there an association between sleep quality and ventilation in DMD patients.
Conclusions: 20% to 44% of patients reported impaired sleep quality on self-report questionnaires, and symptoms of anxiety and depression may have contributed to the observed sleep outcomes. Larger population studies are needed to better understand the genesis and impact of sleep disturbances in dystrophinopathies.