Assessment of sleep quality among renal transplant recipients

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) represents a major global and national health burden due to its high prevalence, progressive course, and substantial negative impact on quality of life. Metabolic, hormonal, and immunological disturbances observed in CKD affect not only organ functions but also behavioral and neurophysiological processes, thereby leading to significant alterations in sleep patterns. Although renal transplantation is the most effective treatment option for end-stage renal disease and yields considerable improvements in various clinical parameters, findings regarding sleep quality among transplant recipients remain heterogeneous. This study aimed to compare sleep quality among healthy individuals, CKD patients, and renal transplant recipients using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and to evaluate the relationship between sleep quality and selected clinical and laboratory variables. A total of 180 participants were included in the study (60 healthy controls, 60 CKD patients, and 60 renal transplant recipients). The findings demonstrated that sleep quality was markedly impaired in the CKD group. The similar prevalence of poor sleep quality observed in transplant recipients and healthy controls indicates that transplantation provides a substantial improvement in sleep compared with CKD and that sleep quality among transplant recipients does not significantly differ from that of the normal population. No significant association was found between age and sleep quality; however, poor sleep quality was more prevalent among women. Additionally, alterations in certain biochemical parameters were observed to accompany reduced sleep quality. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that sleep quality is substantially affected in CKD, whereas renal transplantation yields sleep quality outcomes comparable to those of healthy individuals. These findings emphasize that sleep assessment should be an integral component of clinical follow-up in both CKD and renal transplant populations.