Rabner J, et al. - This investigation ascertained if sleep disturbance varied by headache diagnosis in a pediatric cohort. It also determined if this effect persisted with the inclusion of other factors affecting sleep. The data displayed the significance of the analysis and treatment of sleep problems in pediatric patients with a chronic headache, being crucial with several contextual and headache diagnostic factors influencing the severity of sleep disturbance.

Methods

• The plot of this trial was a retrospective chart review.
• It enrolled 527 patients, aged 7-17 years, with a primary headache diagnosis of migraine (n = 278), TTH (n = 157), and NDPH (n = 92).
• The measures of disability, anxiety, and depression were completed by the enrollees and their parents completed measures of sleep disturbance.

Results

• Greater sleep disturbance was reported in patients with TTH (10.34 ± 5.94, P = .002) and NDPH (11.52 ± 6.40, P < .001) than migraine (8.31 ± 5.89).
• Greater sleep disturbance illustrated a substantial connection with higher levels of functional disability (rs ≥ .16), anxiety (rs ≥ .30), and depression (rs ≥ .32), across patient groups.
• A prominent link was also found between higher pain levels with greater sleep disturbance among TTH patients (r = .23), with this association non-significant among the other headache groups.
• When simultaneously examining demographic, pain-related, and emotional distress factors, older age, higher levels of disability and depression, and NDPH diagnosis served as vital predictors of greater sleep disturbance (r² = .25).