title: Sleep disturbances in hepatitis C patients undergoing treatment: minisleep questionnaire as a screening tool.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sleep disturbances are frequently reported by patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) during treatment with interferon (IFN) α plus ribavirin. Poor sleep quality is related to the onset of depression and impaired quality of life in patients receiving treatment. The aims of this study were to apply the Mini Sleep Questionnaire (MSQ) as a screening tool to assess the self-reported sleep quality and the prevalence of sleep disorders.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a transversal, observational, descriptive study comprising 41 subjects with HCV, divided into two groups, treatment (N.=16) and control (N.=25). A structured questionnaire was used to collect sociodemographic and clinical data and the MSQ was applied to assess the sleep quality. A Chi-square test was applied to compare sleep quality between groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant differences between groups in the classification of sleep quality were observed (P<0.05). The group of patients under treatment presented higher frequency of sleep disorders (63%) when compared to the control group (12%). Additionally, the apnea domain was the most impacted.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study identified a higher prevalence of sleep disorders and self-reported poor sleep quality in HCV patients under treatment. The MSQ may be useful as a screening tool for sleep disorders in HCV patients during the treatment with IFN-α plus ribavirin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health II, State University of Southwest Bahia, Bahia, Brazil - ecvmartins@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: E Cordeiro Vitor
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Martins
authors.forename: M Costa
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: J A Mesquita Martins Seabra
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: De Oliveira
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: T Mascarenhas Godinho
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Reis
mesh_terms: D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D016898:Interferon-alpha / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012254:Ribavirin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents; D016898:Interferon-alpha; D012254:Ribavirin