Sleep and behavior in children and adolescents with tuberous sclerosis complex

Am J Med Genet A. 2021 May;185(5):1421-1429. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.a.62123. Epub 2021 Mar 1.

Abstract

Sleep disorders are frequent in tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) during the developmental age but are not well characterized. Forty-six TSC patients and 46 healthy age- and sex-matched controls were enrolled. Their parents completed the Sleep Disturbances Scale for Children (SDSC) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). A total of 17.4% of the TSC patients obtained a total pathologic score at the SDSC versus 4.4% in the control group (p = 0.024). 45.7% of individuals with TSC reported a pathologic score in at least one of the factors. We found a statistically significant difference between the TSC cohort and healthy controls for most of the CBCL scales scores. A significant relationship was found between the Total SDSC score and the Total CBCL score (R-square = 0.387, p < 0.0001), between the Total SDSC score and the Internalizing and Externalizing areas scores (R-square = 0.291, p < 0.0001 and R-square = 0.350, p < 0.0001, respectively) of the CBCL. Sleep disorders are more frequent in TSC than in the general population and correlate with behavior. The use of SDSC and CBCL is proposed as part of the surveillance of TSC patients in the developmental age.

Keywords: CBCL; SDSC; TSC; sleep; tuberous sclerosis complex.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Child
  • Child Behavior Disorders / complications
  • Child Behavior Disorders / epidemiology
  • Child Behavior Disorders / physiopathology*
  • Child, Preschool
  • Cohort Studies
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Parents
  • Sleep / physiology*
  • Sleep Wake Disorders / complications
  • Sleep Wake Disorders / epidemiology
  • Sleep Wake Disorders / physiopathology*
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Tuberous Sclerosis / complications
  • Tuberous Sclerosis / epidemiology
  • Tuberous Sclerosis / physiopathology*