Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of sleep disturbance among patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) treated at King Abdulaziz Cardiac Center in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Methods: This cross-sectional survey study was conducted from January 28 to April 26, 2018. Participants were selected using the nonrandomized convenience sampling technique. Data were gathered using questionnaires distributed to the participants in the waiting area before attending the clinic. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to measure sleep quality. Additionally, Berlin Questionnaire (BQ) was used to stratify the population into (high/low) risk for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Results: The study included 373 participants, with 195 men (52.3%) and 178 women (47.1%). Most patients (63%) were aged 51 to 70 years. Two hundred and forty-two patients (64.9%) had diabetes, while 62 (16.6%) had insomnia. Additionally, 178 patients (47.7%) suffered from myocardial infarction, and 57 (15.3%) had arrhythmia. Majority of the participants (n = 223, 59.8%) had poor-quality sleep, according to PSQI class.
Conclusion: Most study participants had poor-quality sleep. Inadequate sleep duration appears to be a significant risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Sleep deprivation appears to cause harmful, longterm, and systemic changes that could eventually predispose a patient to CVD.

Key words: Prevalence, sleep disturbance, Saudi adult, cardiovascular, Saudi Arabia.