Circadian rhythm sleep disorders: Toward a more precise definition and diagnosis

The present article presents a survey of the characteristics of our case se ries of 322 patients suffering from circadian rhythm sleep disorders (CRSDs ), a case-control study comparing a group of 50 CRSD patients and 56 age- a nd gender-matched normal subjects, and a proposal for new guide lines for i mproving the diagnosis of CRSD. The major findings were that 83.5% of our C RSD patients who seek medical help are of the delayed sleep phase syndrome (DSPS) type; 89.6% report that the onset of CRSD occurred in early childhoo d or adolescence; CRSD- exhibits no gender differences; a familial trait ex ists in 44% of patients; and learning disorders (19.3%) and personality dis orders (22.4%) in the DSPS-type patients are of high prevalence. The findin gs of this study point to the importance of clinician awareness of the clin ical picture of patients presenting with CRSD so that early diagnosis acid effective treatment can be achieved to prevent harmful consequences.