Soldiers with combat-related injuries, including traumatic brain injury (TBI) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), experience a high incidence of sleep disorders, according to research presented at CHEST 2011.
Researchers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, DC, studied 261 patients including 135 with PTSD, 116 of whom had a TBI, and 66 with both conditions. Of these patients (90.4% men with a mean BMI of 29, mean age 35 years), soldiers with combat-related TBI and PTSD were found to have high rates of disordered sleep.
Of those with TBI blunt trauma, more experienced obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (54.3% vs 25.9%, p=0.003), while, of those with blast injuries, more experienced insomnia (63.0% vs 40.0%, p=0.022). Overall, insomnia rates were similar among all patients with PTSD; however, PTSD appears to predispose soldiers to OSA.
According to the researchers, an increased awareness of the prevalence of sleep disorders is important in order for adequate treatment to be provided, especially beyond soldiers’ military commitment.
