Sleep Disorders Among Patients with Connective Tissue Disease-associated Interstitial Lung Disease

Abstract

Background: Patients with connective tissue disease-associated interstitial lung disease (CTD-ILD) frequently experience sleep-related disorders like insomnia, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), and restless leg syndrome (RLS). Poor sleep quality in ILD significantly impacts health-related quality of life, leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Methodology: A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based study was conducted at a tertiary care centre in Eastern India. Consecutive cases of CTD-ILD and age-matched controls were recruited and were administered a Sleep Questionnaire that included questions related to insomnia, RLS, parasomnias, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Berlin, STOP-BANG questionnaires. Results: Forty cases of CTD-ILD and age-matched controls were enrolled. The mean age of patients was 46.5 ± 12.53 years and 90% were female. On the ESS, where a score of >10 is significant, the patients with CTD-ILD had significantly higher daytime sleepiness as compared to controls ( p = .014). Per the Berlin questionnaire, 57.5% of the patients were at high risk ( p = .025). RLS was significantly higher in patients compared with controls ( Table 5 , p < .05). Conclusion: Sleep disorders and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) are highly prevalent in CTD-ILD. In resource-limited settings, sleep-related questionnaires can serve as a screening tool to identify patients who require further comprehensive evaluation.