Excessive Daytime Sleepiness
(28/10/09)
What Is Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) ?
Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) is a common symptom of various medical conditions. It is characterised by difficulty in maintaining wakefulness and an increased ability to fall asleep in inappropriate circumstances and situations.
What causes EDS?
Significant alterations in either the normal body processes or circadian processes (the body’s internal 24hr clock) can lead to EDS. While normal sleepiness is relieved by sleep, EDS may persist despite efforts to obtain appropriate sleep.
What conditions cause EDS?
Significant overlap exists among disorders of sleep or wakefulness; hence, EDS is rarely due to a single cause. EDS may be caused by sleep-wake dysregulation (e.g. narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia), sleep disruption (e.g. obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome [OSAHS], Parkinson’s disease, depression, myotonic dystrophy, multiple sclerosis), or circadian misalignment (e.g. shift work sleep disorder [SWSD]). EDS has also been documented in a variety of other medical, neurological and psychiatric conditions including schizophrenia, epilepsy, and brain injury.
Why is EDS not recognised?
Despite being treatable, EDS is under-recognised, under-treated and often misdiagnosed. This may be because patients fail to acknowledge the symptoms, or because physicians fail to recognise that EDS can persist despite treatment of the underlying condition.
Dr. Bruno Baconnet
Senior Director
Medical Affairs
Cephalon Europe