Sleep symptoms and their clinical correlates in Machado-Joseph disease

Objective – To evaluate the presence of sleep symptoms in Machado–Joseph disease/spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (MJD/SCA3). Subjects/methods – We used a sleep questionnaire and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale to compare 53 patients with MJD/SCA3 and 106 controls. Results – Patients with MJD/SCA3 reported more symptoms of insomnia, restless leg syndrome and REM sleep behavior disorder as well as nocturnal cramps, snoring and nocturnal apnea. Insomnia was the most frequently reported sleep‐related complaint in the MJD/SCA3 group. Conclusions – Our results indicate that sleep disorders are common in patients with MJD/SCA3 and probably have a multifactorial etiology, with components of a primary sleep disorder in addition to sleep‐disrupting symptoms such as nocturia and cramps.