Clinical and radiologic correlates of insomnia symptoms in ischemic stroke patients

Abstract

Objectives: Insomnia is a common complaint in stroke survivors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) correlates of insomnia symptoms in Chinese ischemic stroke survivors.

Methods: A comprehensive psychiatric assessment was performed involving 508 ischemic stroke patients 3 months after their first-ever or recurrent acute stroke. Insomnia symptoms were evaluated with a standard insomnia questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).The evaluation of the MRI scans focused on infarctions, white matter lesions, and microbleeds.

Results: One hundred and eight-six patients (36.6% of the sample) had insomnia symptoms. Sixty-four patients (12.6%) had insomnia symptoms with daytime consequences. In the multivariate logistic regression analysis, GDS score (OR = 1.157, p < 0.001) and acute frontal lobe infarction (OR = 1.933, p = 0.039) were significant predictors of insomnia symptoms, while the GDS score (OR = 1.251, p < 0.001) and diabetes mellitus (OR = 1.959, p = 0.017) were significant predictors of insomnia symptoms with daytime consequences.

Conclusions: Insomnia symptoms have a multi-factorial origin in stroke. Besides depressive symptoms, frontal lobe infarction and diabetes mellitus predict insomnia symptoms.