What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aimed to explore the influence of fatigue, depression, and sleep inertia on disease severity in hypersomnolence disorders, particularly regarding sex predisposition.

November 3, 2022Open Access

Central Disorders of Hypersomnolence: Association with Fatigue, Depression and Sleep Inertia Prevailing in Women

Key Points

The study aimed to explore the influence of fatigue, depression, and sleep inertia on disease severity in hypersomnolence disorders, particularly regarding sex predisposition.
Cross-sectional design with 148 subjects, predominantly female (63%); divided into narcolepsy types 1 and 2, and idiopathic hypersomnia.
Participants completed multiple questionnaires including ESS, HADS, FSS, and SIQ to assess symptoms and correlations with disease severity scales.
Correlations were analyzed between questionnaire data and specific severity scales: NSS for narcolepsy and IHSS for idiopathic hypersomnia.
In narcoleptic subjects, the highest correlation was between NSS and ESS (r = 0.658; p < 0.0001), and with FSS (r = 0.506; p < 0.0001).
In idiopathic hypersomnia, significant correlations found included IHSS and SIQ (r = 0.894; p < 0.0001), FSS (r = 0.812; p < 0.0001), and HADS scales with depression (r = 0.649; p = 0.0005).
Females exhibited higher HADS anxiety and depression scores (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01), with similar trends in FSS and SIQ (p < 0.05).

Abstract

Fatigue, depression, and sleep inertia are frequently underdiagnosed manifestations in narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia. Our cross-sectional study design included diagnostic interview accompanied by assessment instruments and aimed to explore how these factors influence disease severity as well as to elucidate any sex predisposition. One hundred and forty-eight subjects (female 63%) were divided into narcolepsy type 1 (NT1; n = 87, female = 61%), narcolepsy type 2 (NT2; n = 22, female = 59%), and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH; n = 39, female = 69%). All subjects completed a set of questionnaires: Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scales (HADS), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), and Sleep Inertia Questionnaire (SIQ). In narcoleptic subjects, questionnaire data were correlated with the Narcolepsy Severity Scale (NSS), and in subjects with idiopathic hypersomnia, with the Idiopathic Hypersomnia Severity Scale (IHSS). The highest correlation in narcoleptic subjects was found between NSS and ESS (r = 0.658; p < 0.0001), as well as FSS (r = 0.506; p < 0.0001), while in subjects with idiopathic hypersomnia, the most prominent positive correlations were found between IHSS and SIQ (r = 0.894; p < 0.0001), FSS (r = 0.812; p < 0.0001), HADS depression scale (r = 0.649; p = 0.0005), and HADS anxiety scale (r = 0.528; p < 0.0001). ESS showed an analogic correlation with disease severity (r = 0.606; p < 0.0001). HADS anxiety and depression scores were higher in females (p < 0.05 and p < 0.01), with similar results for FSS and SIQ scales (p < 0.05 for both), and a trend toward higher ESS values in females (p = 0.057). Our study illustrates that more attention should be focused on pathophysiological mechanisms and associations of fatigue, depression, as well as sleep inertia in these diseases; they influence the course of both illnesses, particularly in women.

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