Confusions concerning sleep disorders and the epilepsies in children and adolescents

Misdiagnosis of the sleep disorders and epilepsy is common. This is due, in part, to the relatively little attention given these topics in medical schools. There are several manifestations of misdiagnosis: sleep disorders are sometimes not differentiated from each other; sleep disorders may be incorrectly diagnosed as epilepsy; or epilepsy may be treated as a sleep disorder. Better professional education regarding the clinical symptoms of sleep disorders and epilepsy, and more accurate reporting of the episodes by affected individuals and their families, will make recognition easier and more accurate. It is also possible, given that epilepsy affects at least one percent of children and sleep disorders affect more, that children exhibit behavior suggesting that both epilepsy and some sleep disorder are present. Emotional problems, characteristic of children with epilepsy, may themselves cause sleep disturbance. Parents are encouraged to observe their children's behavior as accurately as possible in order to aid in proper diagnosis of disturbed behavior, with the help, if necessary, of equipment such as overnight video recordings and sleep recordings. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)