Results of a new questionnaire to assess sleep problems in childhood

Screening of sleep disorders in children is of high importance. In Hungary there is no standardized questionnaire for assessing sleep problems. We evaluated the results of sleep quality scales of our questionnaire and compared the data of healthy and clinical population. We analyzed the correlation between our questionnaire and validated tests and the severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Our questionnaire is designed to estimate sleep hygiene and quality in two age groups (8-14 and 15-18 ys.) by nighttime and daytime symptoms score. Two groups of children were analyzed: 1. healthy group (n=2020), 2. children with sleep problems (n=66). The second group filled out two validated tests, Modified Pediatric Epworth Sleepiness Scale (MP-ESS), Conner9s Rating Scales-Revised (CRS-R) and underwent polysomnography. Severity of OSAS was characterized by Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) and Oxigen-Desaturation Index (ODI). Children underwent polysomnography had significantly higher score both on nighttime and daytime symptoms scale than healthy children. Correlations were: score of nighttime symptoms scale and CRS-R score (r=0.441; p=0.001), score of daytime symptoms scale and MP-ESS score (r=0.389; p=0.001). Children in the highest quartile of nighttime symptoms scale had significantly higher AHI (mean±SD: 0.62±1.07 vs. 5.97±11.39; p=0,04) and ODI (mean±SD: 0.49±0,53 vs. 6.23±12,07; p=0.02) than children in the lowest quartile. The nighttime and daytime score index had higher sensitivity to predict OSA than other tests. Our questionnaire can be potentially useful in evaluating sleep problems in children and give more information about sleep problems than other tests. However validation of the questionnaire is still needed.