After adjustment for demographic and health variables, hazard ratio was 1.94 for individuals with epilepsy and sleep deprivation
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, May 19, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Older adults with sleep deprivation and epilepsy have an elevated risk for all-cause mortality, according to a study published online April 23 in Healthcare.
Srikanta Banerjee, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., from the College of Health Sciences at Walden University in Minneapolis, and colleagues examined mortality risk in people with epilepsy based on sleep duration using data from the 2008 to 2018 National Health Interview Survey linked to mortality data from the National Death Index in U.S. adults aged 65 years and older.
The researchers found that the unadjusted hazard ratio for all-cause mortality for sleep deprivation versus no sleep deprivation was 1.92 among people with epilepsy. After adjustment for demographic and health variables, the adjusted hazard ratio was 1.94 for those with epilepsy and sleep deprivation, but close to 1.0 for those with a history of sleep deprivation without epilepsy.
“As practitioners continue to explore the etiology and comorbidities of epilepsy, the consideration of sleep disturbances must play a central role in improving patient quality of life and survival,” the authors write. “More screening through the usage of electroencephalograms and sleep studies can improve the prognostic outlook and quality of life.”
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