Frequency and severity of sleep apnoeas, snoring history, standard clinical stroke scale were assessed in 106 acute (73 ischaemic, 33 haemorrhagic) stroke patients. Thirty-seven patients with ischaemic stroke and 14 patients with cerebral bleeding, each having pathological oxygen desaturation index during sleep, were re-tested in 3 months for sleep apnoeas and clinical stroke scale. In haemorrhagic strokes, the apnoea frequency decreased parallel with clinical improvement; but it remained as frequent as in the acute phase in the ischaemic stroke group (p = 0.0002). Apnoea frequency decreased mostly during the course of posterior stroke (p = 0.0001). It is concluded that pathological sleep apnoea frequency remains stable after ischaemic stroke indicating a concomitant obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome and sleep apnoea is a transitory symptom of haemorrhagic strokes.
Copyright 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel