Is Sleep Quality Impaired and Is There Increased Risk of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome in Patients With Compensated Liver Cirrhosis?

As liver cirrhosis worsens, sleep pattern impairment and related complaints increase. The objective of this study was to identify the prevalence of poor sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, and increased risk for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in adults with Child-Pugh Class A liver cirrhosis; to investigate the association between poor sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and risk for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome; and to verify the relationship between these 3 variables and clinical, laboratory, and sociodemographic data. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 100 individuals at the outpatient clinic of a university hospital in the interior of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Questionnaires were used in the form of interviews and consultation of medical records. There was a prevalence of 35.0% of poor sleep quality, 29.0% of excessive daytime sleepiness, and 38.0% of high risk for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, as well as a significant association between high risk for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and poor sleep quality. There was no significant association between laboratory variables and sleep quality, daytime sleepiness, and high risk for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. There is a high prevalence of poor sleep, excessive sleepiness, and high risk for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, and poor sleep quality is related to a high risk for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome among patients with compensated liver cirrhosis.