Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2013 Oct 10:14:220.
doi: 10.1186/1471-2369-14-220.

Self-reported sleep disturbances in renal transplant recipients

Hanna Burkhalter  1 , Daniel P Brunner, Anna Wirz-Justice, Christian Cajochen, Terri E Weaver, Jürg Steiger, Thomas Fehr, Reto M Venzin, Sabina De Geest
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Self-reported sleep disturbances in renal transplant recipients

Hanna Burkhalter et al. BMC Nephrol. .

Abstract

Background: Poor sleep quality (SQ) and daytime sleepiness (DS) are common in renal transplant (RTx) recipients; however, related data are rare. This study describes the prevalence and frequency of self-reported sleep disturbances in RTx recipients.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 249 RTx recipients transplanted at three Swiss transplant centers. All had reported poor SQ and / or DS in a previous study. With the Survey of Sleep (SOS) self-report questionnaire, we screened for sleep and health habits, sleep history, main sleep problems and sleep-related disturbances. To determine a basis for preliminary sleep diagnoses according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders (ICSD), 164 subjects were interviewed (48 in person, 116 via telephone and 85 refused). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data and to determine the frequencies and prevalences of specific sleep disorders.

Results: The sample had a mean age of 59.1 ± 11.6 years (60.2% male); mean time since Tx was 11.1 ± 7.0 years. The most frequent sleep problem was difficulty staying asleep (49.4%), followed by problems falling asleep (32.1%). The most prevalent sleep disturbance was the need to urinate (62.9%), and 27% reported reduced daytime functionality. Interview data showed that most suffered from the first ICSD category: insomnias.

Conclusion: Though often disregarded in RTx recipients, sleep is an essential factor of wellbeing. Our findings show high prevalences and incidences of insomnias, with negative impacts on daytime functionality. This indicates a need for further research on the clinical consequences of sleep disturbances and the benefits of insomnia treatment in RTx recipients.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flowchart of the sample.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Eryilmaz MM, Ozdemir C, Yurtman F, Cilli A, Karaman T. Quality of sleep and quality of life in renal transplantation patients. Transplant Proc. 2005;37(5):2072–2076. doi: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2005.03.084. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Kachuee H, Ameli J, Taheri S, Assari S, Riahipour F, Khedmat H, Saadat AR. Sleep quality and its correlates in renal transplant patients. Transplant Proc. 2007;39(4):1095–1097. doi: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2007.04.001. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Sabbatini M, Crispo A, Pisani A, Gallo R, Cianciaruso B, Fuiano G, Federico S, Andreucci VE. Sleep quality in renal transplant patients: a never investigated problem. Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2005;20(1):194–198. doi: 10.1093/ndt/gfh604. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Burkhalter H, Sereika SM, Engberg S, Wirz-Justice A, Steiger J, De Geest S. Validity of 2 sleep quality items to be used in a large cohort study of kidney transplant recipients. Prog Transplant. 2011;21(1):27–35. - PubMed
    1. Krystal AD, Edinger JD. Measuring sleep quality. Sleep medicine. 2008;9(Suppl 1):S10–S17. - PubMed

Publication types