Background: Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), namely ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) are characterized by relapsing chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which may potentially include extra-intestinal manifestations (EIMs). IBD can be severely disabling and has been associated with sleep disorders. We aimed to study the frequency of sleep disturbances in a cohort of IBD patients

Method: We prospectively recruited IBD patients who attended the Gastrointestinal Unit Clinic of Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad, Iran, from April 2019 to March 2021. In order to evaluate sleep quality the patients completed a verified translation of Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Berlin Questionnaire (BQ) and Restless Leg Syndrome Questionnaire by means of an online or phone survey.

Results: We assessed the sleep quality of 82 IBD patients (13 CD and 69 UC). Low quality of sleep was seen in 63.4% (n=52) cases. Patients who suffered from pancolitis were significantly more likely to have sleep disturbances compared with those from partial colitis (p=0.02). Furthermore, RLS was positive in 62.2% (n=51) patients while it was associated with an increased CRP level (p=0.04) among our patient pool.

Conclusion: Low sleep quality was evident in more than half of our IBD cohort. Gastroenterologists should seek help from psychologists for IBD patients in order to diagnose sleep disorders and enhance the quality of sleep in these patients.