Interactions between Insomnia, Sleep Disordered Breathing and Cardiometabolic Risk in Patients Complaining of Pain in the Orofacial Region.

Abstract

The existence of intersected pathways between the mechanisms of insomnia, sleep-disordered breathing and persistent/chronic pain has been documented. Such concurrence will eventually contribute to a higher burden of cardiometabolic diseases, a main cause of death worldwide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the interactions between insomnia, sleep-disordered breathing, cardiometabolic risk, and psychosocial stress in patients seeking care at an orofacial pain clinic. Anonymized data of 1236 patients seeking care at the orofacial pain unit of the University of Zurich were analysed. Prevalence data was estimated for insomnia, sleep disordered breathing/sleep apnea and increased risk of a combination of insomnia and sleep disordered breathing/sleep apnea, both regarding demographics and cardiometabolic risk factors. Psychosocial stress factors acting as additional cardiometabolic risk factors were assessed. Among patients with persistent orofacial pain, increased risk of combination of insomnia and sleep disordered breathing/ sleep apnea was present in 11.5% of cases, and it was likely to increase psychosocial stress as an aditional independent risk factor for cardiometabolic disorder.