Sleep Disorders in Hemodialyzed Patients

Overview

Background.
Many hemodialyzed patients complain about bad sleep. The aim of this study was to learn the subjective view of patients on their sleep and its influence by hemodialysis treatment.Methods and Results. A simple questionary containing 20 questions concerning sleep was prepared and given to regulary hemodialyzed patients in two hemodialysis centres. Uncooperating as well as severely ill patients were excluded. The questionary was responded by 103 patients (mean age 60.4 years) - 61 men (mean age 56.7 years) and 42 women (mean age 65.7 years). 34 % of patient regard their sleep as bad. 45.6 % of dialyzed patients feel restlessness of legs during the night and 32 % snore or have some breath problems. 38 % of patients considered their sleep as better before starting the hemodialysis treatment, in 14.6 % the sleep became better after starting the dialysis treatment.Conclusions. Sleep disorders in hemodialysed patients worsen the quality of life of these patients. Moreover, sleep disorders represent a serious problem as they can increase the mortality.

Key words:
sleep, hemodialysis, restless legs syndrome, sleep apnea syndrome.