P066 The Relationship between Chronic Breathlessness and Perceived Sleep Quality in Adult Australian

Abstract

Abstract Introduction This study aimed to explore the relationship between breathlessness (severity and chronicity) and poor sleep quality. Methods Analysis of an Australia-wide, online cross-sectional survey carried out between 12 July - 2 August 2021. Community-dwelling adults were recruited from a web-based survey panel, with recruitment based on age, gender, and state of residence quotas to match the Australian 2016 census population data. Participants self-reported breathlessness using the modified Medical Research Council (mMRC) scale, as well as their perceived sleep quality and other demographic and health measures. Results Sleep quality was available for 9,877 responders (52% females, mean age 46, SD=19 years, BMI 27 SD=7 kg/m2). Sleep quality in the previous month was reported as “very good”, “fairly good”, “fairly bad” and “very bad” by 16, 49, 25%, and 10% of participants respectively. Breathlessness (mMRC 1–4), chronic breathlessness (mMRC 1–4 for longer than 3 months) and severe breathlessness (mMRC 2–4) were 42, 29 and 11% respectively. Respondents with perceived poor sleep quality were more likely to be breathless, younger, with a higher BMI, and higher likelihood of identifying as female. All measures of breathlessness were associated with increased odds of poor sleep quality [adjusted models with gender, age and BMI, OR (95% confidence interval): 2.6 (2.4 to 2.9), 3.1 (2.8 to 3.5) and 3.4 (2.9 to 3.9) for breathlessness, chronic and severe breathlessness respectively]. There were no significant interactions between any breathlessness measure and age. Discussion There is a strong association between breathlessness and perceived poor sleep quality.