Bargiotas P, et al. - Physicians designed this study to evaluate the demographic, clinical and polysomnographic profile, trigger factors and associated comorbidities of childhood-onset sleepwalking (CO-SW) and adult-onset sleepwalking (AO-SW) in adults. In this study, adult sleepwalking (SW) was identified as a complex and potentially dangerous condition. Compared to those of CO-SW, the characteristics of AO-SW often differed.

• The physicians performed a structured clinical interview, a battery of questionnaires, video-polysomnography (v-PSG) and standard electroencephalography (EEG) in adult sleepwalkers.

• The physicians enrolled 63 sleepwalkers.
• Out of them, 45% had ≥1 episodes/month, 54% had partial recall of the episodes and 36% reported trigger factors for SW.
• Co-occurring parasomnias were reported by almost all subjects.
• In this study, 4% showed episodes of SW, 17% confusional arousals, 21% had an increased apnea-hypopnea-index and 6% exhibited features of an overlap parasomnia disorder in v-PSG.
• Seventy-three percent reported CO-SW and 27% AO-SW in this cohort.
• The physicians found positive family history for parasomnias in 33% (vs. 49% in CO-SW), neurological comorbidities in 44% (vs. 14%), psychiatric comorbidities in 25% (vs. 33%), EEG abnormalities in 50% (vs. 29%) in subjects with AO-SW.
• During SW episodes, violence was more frequent in males and in subjects with CO-SW (45% for self-injury and 44% for violent behaviour vs. 33 and 29% respectively in the AO-SW group).