Confusions Concerning Sleep Disorders and the Epilepsies in Children and Adolescents

Abstract

There are interesting parallels between sleep disorders and the epilepsies. Firstly, both terms refer to a group of conditions differing in cause, clinical manifestation, natural history and impact on the lives of patients and their relatives. Secondly, the investigation and management of both sets of conditions require a combined physical and psychological approach. Thirdly, neither field is usually covered systematically (if at all) in medical education, although some initiative has been taken in the USA for the introduction of these areas into the curriculum of medical schools (Medical School Curriculum Task Force, 1988). This relative neglect no doubt explains the fourth parallel – that in both sleep disorders and the epilepsies misdiagnosis or inadequate diagnosis appears to be common.