Evaluation of factors relating the sleep quality and quality of life of individuals with chronic cough

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to evaluate the sleep quality and quality of life of patients with chronic cough and to reveal the related factors. MATERIAL AND METHOD: The study was conducted between July 1 and September 1, 2020 in the Department of Pulmonary Medicine of Sakarya University Training and Research Hospital. A personal information form, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) questionnaire, and the Leicester Cough Questionnaire (LCQ) were provided to all the participants. SPSS v.20.0 package program was used for statistical analysis (IBM SPSS Statistics; Armonk, NY, USA). To determine the statistical significance level, 95% confidence interval and p≤0.05 were considered significant. RESULTS: Of the 200 study participants aged between 18 and 70 years, 129 were women and 71 were men. The participants' LCQ total score was 13.15 ± 3.74, physical domain score was 4.10 ± 1.39, psychological domain score was 4.30 ± 1.30, and social domain score was 4.75 ± 1.30. Moreover, their PSQI total score was 6.08 ± 3.85, subjective sleep quality score was 0.63 ± 0.70, sleep latency score was 1.47 ± 0.97, sleep duration score was 0.55 ± 0.96, and sleep efficiency score was 0. In addition, their sleep disturbance score was 1.67 ± 0.76, use of sleep medication score was 0.48 ± 0.86, and daytime sleepiness score was 1.09 ± 1.28. Advanced age, female gender, low education levels, and residence in rural areas were found to be risk factors that could negatively affect the quality of life. In addition, the sleep quality was found to be significantly poorer in elderly people. CONCLUSION: Chronic cough can affect the sleep quality and the overall quality of life. The causative chronic diseases and their possible complications can negatively impact the patients' sleep quality and quality of life. It is important to evaluate the effects of the symptoms on the sleep quality and quality of life and to ensure timely clinical treatment and follow-up of diseases that cause cough.