Sleep disorders in patients with multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS), affected about 2.8 million people worldwide in 2020, is often associated with sleep disorders. These disturbances may arise from the disease itself—such as pain—or as side effects of symptomatic and immunological treatments.

The present study is cross-sectional- analytic study. The population studied consists of MS patients living in Kashan city. The sample size under investigation is comprised of 174 patients diagnosed with MS. The information was gathered through demographic information questionnaires, the hospital anxiety and depression scale(HADS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale (MSIS). The data were analyzed through Chi-square tests and logistic regression using Stata version 14 software.

: Of 174 MS patients (81.76% female, mean age 34.16 ± 7.62), Mild insomnia affected 17.05%, and 68.18% experienced frequent night awakenings. Significant predictors of sleepiness included education level (OR: 18.20; p = 0.03), insomnia severity (OR: 5.24; p = 0.04), and morning dysfunction (OR: 6.49; p = 0.04), as well as MS medication. Most patients were not taking sleep medication (86.05%). Mild anxiety and baseline depressive symptoms were prevalent (69.32% and 80.68%, respectively), and 80.11% reported low quality of life.

The final model demonstrated an effective relationship between the Sleepiness and variables of education level, drugs used in MS, Insomnia Severity, and morning dysfunction in the presence of other variables.