Sleep pattern in a group of patients undergoing hemodialysis compared to control

• Published in: Middle East current psychiatry (Cairo) 2022-01, Vol.29 (1), p.1-8, Article 3
• Main Authors: Hashem, Reem El Sayed, Abdo, Tarek Asaad, Sarhan, Iman Ibrahim, Mansour, Amr Mohammed
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Hemodialysis; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Obstructive sleep apnea; Pattern; Psychiatry; Sleep
• ISSN: 2090-5416; 2090-5416
• DOI: 10.1186/s43045-021-00168-8

Background Patients with chronic kidney disease progress regularly every year to end-stage renal disease and have to undergo dialysis. Sleep disturbances have been reported to be frequent among patients receiving dialysis and contributing to the increase of their mortality and morbidity. The present research aimed to study the sleep pattern in hemodialysis patients and the risk factors associated. This cross-sectional case-control study included 40 subjects divided into 2 groups: 20 cases recruited from Ain Shams University Hospital’s dialysis unit and 20 in the control group with normal Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score matched for age and sex. Both groups were subjected to overnight polysomnography, and the cases group was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index to determine their sleep quality. Results Nearly all polysomnographic parameters were significantly abnormal in the cases group except for sleep onset latency ( P > 0.05), showing obstructive sleep apnea and periodic limb movement ( P value 0.001). Based on their Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score, 30% were classified as good sleepers and 70% as bad sleepers. On comparing both groups, a significant difference was found. Poor sleepers had more worse sleep efficiency (62.9%), spent longer time during their sleep in stage 1 (26.6%) with shorter REM onset latency (113.5 ± 99.5), and had a longer duration of illness with lower serum creatinine level compared to good sleepers. Conclusions The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea and periodic limb movement in hemodialysis patients is high; patients with longer time on dialysis are at more risk of sleep disorders, whereas hemoglobin levels, BUN, and other demographic factors do not seem to play a role in sleep disorder. Hence, patients on hemodialysis need to be screened for sleep disorders so as to improve their mortality and morbidity.