A polysomnographic and clinical report on sleep-related injury in 100 adult patients

Abstract

In 100 consecutive adults who came to a sleep disorders center complaining of repeated nocturnal injury, polysomnographic study identified five disorders: night terrors/sleepwalking (N = 54), REM sleep behavior disorder (N = 36), dissociative disorders (N = 7), nocturnal seizures (N = 2), and sleep apnea (N = 1). Ninety-five patients sustained ecchymoses, 30 had lacerations, and nine had fractures. DSM-III axis I disorders (past or current) were found in 48.1% of the group with night terrors/sleepwalking and in 30.6% of the group with REM sleep behavior disorder; these were mainly affective disorders. In these two groups, clonazepam controlled the symptoms of 51 of the 61 patients to whom it was given.