Assessment of Sleep Quality and Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Abstract

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is commonly accompanied by sleep disturbances and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), which have a negative impact on quality of life, symptom burden, and clinical outcomes. There are, however, limited local data on sleep quality and the prevalence of OSA in patients with COPD. Objective: To assess sleep quality and determine the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea among patients with COPD. Methodology: This descriptive cross sectional study was carried out in the Department of Pulmonology, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Jamshoro, from June 2023 to May 2024. There were 162 patients with COPD who were included. Diagnosis and classification of COPD were made based on GOLD 2023 classification, which is based on spirometry. Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). SPSS version 26 was used to analyze the data. Results: Mean age of patients was 58.9 ± 10.7 years, and 64.2% were men. One hundred thirteen patients (69.8%) had poor sleep quality (PSQI>5) and 68(42%) patients had OSA. The frequency of mild, moderate and severe OSA was 17.9%, 14.8% and 9.3% patients, respectively. There was a significant relationship between the severity of COPD and sleep quality (p=0.002). Conclusion: sleep disturbances and OSA are very common in COPD patients, and are associated with greater disease severity, smoking and obesity. Prompt detection and treatment of sleep disorders could enhance clinical responses and patient quality of life within COPD patients.