Sleep quality in women with systemic lupus erythematosus

• Published in: Sleep medicine 2013-12, Vol.14, p.e136-e136
• Main Authors: Gholamrezaei, A, Hosseini, N, Bonakdar, Z. Sayed
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Neurology; Sleep Medicine
• ISSN: 1389-9457; 1878-5506
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2013.11.306

Introduction There is a lack of data on sleep quality in women with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We evaluated sleep quality and its possible determinants in Iranian women with SLE. Materials and methods Seventy-two women with SLE were investigated. Disease activity was assessed using the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index and disease damage was assessed with the SLICC/ACR Damage Index. Participants completed standardized questionnaires assessing sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)), anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and quality of life (LupusQoL). Results Poor sleep quality (PSQI ⩾ 5) was present in 57.7% of the patients and sleep latency was the most frequent sleep problem (50% with moderate to severe score). Compared with those with good sleep quality, patients with poor sleep quality were older ( p < 0.001), and had less physical activity ( p = 0.01), higher BMI ( p = 0.003), more frequent concurrent disease ( p = 0.04), higher anti-dsDNA antibody level ( p = 0.01), higher anxiety ( p = 0.001) and depression (0.009) scores. They had also lower quality of life in all domains of the LupusQoL ( p < 0.01). Disease activity or damage indices were not significantly associated with sleep quality. In linear regression analysis, depression was significantly associated with PSQI score ( B = 0.1272, p = 0.04). Conclusion A significant proportion of women with SLE suffer from poor sleep quality which is associated with poor quality of life. Depressed mood is an important contributor to decreased overall sleep quality. Acknowledgement This study was supported by the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.