Surveying Sleep Quality and Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis Patients at a Multiple Sclerosis Center in Kermanshah, Iran, in 2017

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease of the nervous system which appears with de-myelination of the central nervous system. Sleep disorder and fatigue are very common in MS patients and are part of the main debilitating factors in patients. The present study was conducted to survey sleep quality and fatigue in MS patients.

Methods: A descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 87 MS patients, who were referred to the Kermanshah MS Center in 2017. Data collection tools include a demographics form, fatigue severity scale, and Pittsburg sleep quality inventory. The questionnaires were self-reporting. The collected data was analyzed in SPSS23.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 35.50±9.25 years and the majority of the participants were married (54; 62.1%). Quality of sleep was related to family history of MS and history of using medications (antidepressants like tricyclics, MAOIs, SSRIs, and SNRIs and anxiety drugs such as diazepam, oxazepam, and alprazolam (p < 0.05). Moreover, there was a significant relationship between length of sleep and history of using medicines (p < 0.05). Finally, the results showed that there was a strong statistical relationship between performance during the day and fatigue (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: The results recommend holding relaxation and exercise courses by nurses to ease fatigue in MS patients. Clinics can also play a more effective role by being more supportive and holding more efficient training programs. The program is taught by the researchers.

Trial registration: This study was carried out following the permission from Ethics Committee, Department of Research and Technology, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences (approval number: KUMS.REC.1395.680).

Keywords: Fatigue; KUMS, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences; Kermanshah MS Society; Multiple sclerosis; SM, self-medication; Sleep quality.