Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders in Multiple Sclerosis: Prevalence, Features and Associated Factors

Davide Sparasci,1 Francesco Fanfulla,2 Raffaele Ferri,3 Debora Aricò,3 Daniela Distefano,4 Emanuele Pravatà ,4 Raphael Heinzer,5 José Haba-Rubio,5 Mathieu Berger,5 Gianna Carla Riccitelli,6– 8 Claudio Gobbi,6,8 Chiara Zecca,6,8,* Mauro Manconi1,8,* 1Sleep Medicine Unit, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Lugano, Switzerland; 2Sleep Medicine Unit, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri, IRCCS, Scientific Institute of Pavia, Pavia, Italy; 3Sleep Research Centre; Department of Neurology I.C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Troina, Italy; 4Neuroradiology Clinic, Ospedale Regionale di Lugano, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Lugano, Switzerland; 5Center for Investigation and Research in Sleep (CIRS), Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; 6Multiple Sclerosis Center, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Lugano, Switzerland; 7Neuropsychology and Behavioural Neurology Research Unit, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Lugano, Switzerland; 8Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, Lugano, Switzerland*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Raffaele Ferri, Sleep Research Centre; Department of Neurology I.C., Oasi Institute for Research on Mental Retardation and Brain Aging (IRCCS), Via Conte Ruggero 73, Troina, 94018, Italy, Email rferri@oasi.en.itBackground: Multiple sclerosis (MS) represents a risk factor for sleep disorders, but there are conflicting results about the prevalence and severity of sleep-related breathing disorders (SRBD) in MS. Most available data come from self-administered questionnaires.Objective: To conduct a polysomnographic study in MS focused on SRBD, compared to a group of healthy controls (HC), also considering the neuroimaging findings. To evaluate the impact of SRBD on vigilance, fatigue and depression in MS.Methods: In this cross-sectional, observational, instrumental study