Estimating Burden of Disease Among Blind Individuals With Non-24-Hour Sleep-Wake Disorder

• Main Authors: Lauren Van Draanen, Changfu Xiao, Mihael H. Polymeropoulos
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2021-01-01
• Series: Frontiers in Neurology
• Subjects: non-24 hour sleep-wake disorder; blind & visually impaired people; HRQOL–health-related quality of life; burden of disease (BOD); quality of life; non-24
• Online Access: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fneur.2020.605240/full

Purpose: To quantify the burden of disease in blind patients with Non-24-H Sleep- Wake Disorder (N24HSWD), utilizing longitudinal sleep diary data. N24HSWD is a circadian disorder characterized by a cyclical pattern of aberrant circadian and sleep-wake cycles that are associated with increased frequency of sleep episodes during the school/work day hours. Daytime sleep episodes would be predicted to decrease the opportunity for school/work participation, significantly impacting the quality of life of the patient.Methods: We used the sleep diary data of daytime sleep from a period of ~90 days in blind individuals that presented with a sleep complaint. These subjects were identified from a group of blind individuals with N24HSWD (n = 121) and a control group of blind individuals without N24HSWD (n = 57).Results: N24HSWD patients had more frequent and longer episodes of daytime sleep as compared to a control group. Using duration of daytime sleep as a surrogate for defining a healthy or unhealthy day, N24HSWD patients also had significantly fewer healthy days, defined by daytime sleep free days (DSFD), days without a sleep episode between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m, as compared to the control group.Conclusion: Daytime sleep free day (DSFD) is a useful and specific measure of disease burden in patients with N24HSWD and it is predicted to be correlated with the standardized HRQOL-4, Healthy Days measurement.