Self-reported sleep disturbances in HIV-infected people: A meta-analysis of prevalence and moderators

OBJECTIVE: Our goal was to estimate the pooled prevalence of self-reported sleep disturbances in HIV-infected people through meta-analysis, taking into account variations in geographic region, gender, age group, CD4 counts, and instrument used to measure sleep disturbances. METHODS: The authors conducted systematic searches of PubMed and PsycINFO to include studies that met our criteria. A random effect meta-analysis model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence of self-reported sleep disturbances in HIV-infected people. The potential moderators of self-reported sleep disturbances were explored with meta-regression analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-seven articles comprising a total of 9246 HIV-positive participants were finally included in our analysis. The overall prevalence of self-reported sleep disturbances in HIV-infected people was 58.0% (95% CI = 49.6-66.1). Meta-regression analysis indicates that geographic region, gender, and instrument significantly explain part of the heterogeneity of the prevalence estimates between the included studies. CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that HIV-infected people suffer from a heavy burden of sleep disturbances. It is therefore recommended that sleep quality should be routinely assessed in HIV-infected people in order to identify the medical treatment needs and the potential impact of sleep problems on antiretroviral therapy outcomes in this population.

• Population(s)
  • General HIV+ population
• Co-morbidities
  • Other