A study of excessive day time sleepiness in asthma

A study was conducted in the Department of Respiratory Medicine, Nil Ratan Sircar Medical College, Kolkata over a period of two years on 120 uncomplicated stable adult asthmatics selected by random sampling to assess the incidence of Excessive Daytime Sleepiness (EDS) in patients with asthma, and to find out its correlation with the severity and the level of control of asthma. Diagnosis of asthma and its severity and level of control were assessed clinically, by peak flow meter and by spirometry. EDS was assessed by (Epworth Sleepiness Scale score ≥ 10). We found incidence of EDS was 30.8% where as EDS in general population of Kolkata was 11.3% (Z = 4.627, P = < 0.05). We also found a definite correlation between EDS with the severity of asthma (5.9% in intermittent, 19.4% in mild persistent, 39.3% in moderate and 83.3% in severe asthmatics) and the level of control (none in good level of control, 25.5% in fair level of control and 58.9% in poor level of control of asthma). However there was no correlation between the mode of diagnosis of asthma and EDS (31.8% in asthmatics diagnosed clinically, 25% by peak flow meter and 31.6% by spirometry).