#235 Quality of sleep and the quality of life in chronic kidney disease patients undergoing hemodialysis in a tertiary hospital in the Philippines
Authors: Jamelo Joe Patrick , Valdepenas Anjela Nattasha , Fadriquela Danessa Loraine , Gueco Irmingarda 
Published: May 2024

Background and Aims

Sleep quality and quality of life are critical aspects of health and well-being, particularly for individuals undergoing hemodialysis. Hemodialysis is a life-sustaining treatment for individuals with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), but it can significantly impact various dimensions of their health, including sleep quality and overall quality of life. Understanding the relationship between sleep and quality of life in hemodialysis patients is essential for developing effective interventions to improve their overall well-being. Studies have shown that hemodialysis patients often experience poor sleep quality, characterized by difficulty falling asleep, frequent awakenings during the night, and early morning awakening. Moreover, sleep disturbances experienced by hemodialysis patients can also affect their ability to perform daily activities which can have a negative impact on their overall quality of life. Factors that have been shown to be associated with quality of sleep and quality of life in hemodialysis patients include age, sex, comorbidity, mode and schedule of hemodialysis, hemoglobin, phosphorus and albumin. Physicians can provide patient-centered care more effectively when they have a better grasp of the quality of life. However, the quality of life is not thoroughly studied in individuals with chronic kidney disease, particularly those undergoing hemodialysis. To address these issues, it is essential to prioritize sleep quality and quality of life in hemodialysis patients. The aims of this study were to determine the prevalence of ‘poor sleepers’ in patients undergoing hemodialysis using a validated sleep quality questionnaire and to examine the relationship between patients’ sleep quality with the quality of life using a validated kidney-disease specific quality of life questionnaire.

Method

This was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted at The Medical City Ortigas from May to July 2023. The subjects recruited were adult hemodialysis patients enrolled in The Medical City Ortigas. To get a 95% confidence level, a minimum population of 80 patients should be included based on 71% prevalence from the study of Iliescu in 2003. This study evaluated a total of 85 patients through random selection. Patients excluded were those &lt;18 years of age, had been on dialysis for less than 3 months, were not competent to give informed consent, and those with diagnosed sleeping disorder prior to having chronic kidney disease. Quality of sleep and quality of life were measured using validated self-administered questionnaires; the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Kidney Disease Quality of Life-Short Form v1.3 (KDQOL) respectively.

Results

Among the respondents 67 (78.82%) were found to be poor sleepers (PSQI &gt;5) with a mean global PSQI of 9.25. Age appeared to be a significant factor as the percentage of bad sleepers belong to the 46-65 and &gt;65 age groups. In contrast, sex, marital status, 150 employment, hemodialysis shift, BMI, kt/V, hemodialysis type, albumin, phosphorus, and hemoglobin levels did not have significant association with quality of sleep. There is significantly a greater number of bad sleepers that have a lower functioning due to symptoms experienced (50.65 bad sleepers vs 62.85 good sleepers). Bad sleepers also have worse quality of life in domains of cognitive function (66.67 vs 55.22), sleep (56.67 vs 46.9), patient satisfaction (57.41 vs 45.27) overall health (54.44 vs 43.28) and general health (40.83 vs 32.16). Correlations between the global PSQI score and the domains of KDQOL computed via Pearson r coefficient showing an inverse correlation between PSQI and the mental (-.392) and physical (-0.320) component summaries.

Conclusion

Poor sleep is common in hemodialysis patients and is associated with poorer quality of life.