INCREASED PREVALENCE OF SLEEP DISTURBANCES AND DAYTIME SLEEPINESS IN SUBJECTS WITH BRONCHIAL-ASTHMA - A POPULATION STUDY OF YOUNG-ADULTS IN3 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The aim of this study was to investigate whether asthma is associated with decreased quality of sleep and increased daytime sleepiness. The study involved a random population of 2,202 subjects supplemented by 4 59 subjects with suspected asthma, aged 20-45 yrs, The subjects were f rom Reykjavik (Iceland), Uppsala and Goteborg (Sweden) and Antwerp (Be lgium), and participated in the European Community Respiratory Health Survey, The investigation included a structured interview, methacholin e challenge, skin-prick tests and a questionnaire on sleep disturbance s, Participants in Iceland and Sweden also estimated their sleep times and made peak expiratory flow (PEF) recordings during a period of 1 w eek, Asthma was defined as self-reported physician-diagnosed asthma wi th current asthma-related symptoms (n=267). Difficulties inducing slee p (DIS) and early morning awakenings (EMA) were about twice as common, and daytime sleepiness 50% more common, in asthmatics compared with s ubjects without asthma, After adjusting for possible confounders, a po sitive association was found between asthma and: DIS (odds ratio (OR)= 1.8); EMA (OR=2.0); daytime sleepiness (OR=1.6); snoring (OR=1.7); and self reported apnoeas (OR=3.7), Allergic rhinitis, which was reported by 71% of subjects with asthma, was independently related to DIS (OR= 2.0) and daytime sleepiness (OR=1.3), A significant correlation was fo und between the number of asthma-related symptoms and sleep disturbanc es (p<0.001). Asthma is associated with decreased subjective quality o f sleep and increased daytime sleepiness, Concurrent allergic rhinitis may be an important underlying cause of sleep impairment in asthmatic patients.