Introduction:

Sleep disorders are a global public health problem because they are common cause of morbidity and mortality. The association between sleep-related symptoms, and type and number of comorbidities has been scarly studied.

Objective:

To identify whether the presence of sleep-related symptoms predict the type and number of comorbidities in adults> 40 years, residents of the metropolitan area of ​​Mexico City.

Methods:

This report derives from PLATINUM project (Latin American Project for the Investigation of Pulmonary Obstruction) and includes data from the sampling population of the city of Mexico (approval number C02-03). Sleep-related symptoms were collected from a standard questionnaire (http://www.platino-alat.org/docs/ cuestionario_ platino_mexico.pdf). Comorbidities recorded in this study were: heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, stroke and gastritis and ulcers. To identify whether the symptoms were sleep-related predictors of the number of comorbidities, we use multinomial logistic regression, considering three-group dependent variable (0) People without sleep-related symptoms; (1) subjects with insomnia and regular use of sedatives and (2) patients with symptoms of obstructive sleep apnea. The analysis was adjusted considering the design of the study and performed the statistical program STATA version 9.0.

Results:

The response rate in the study was 73.1%. Comorbidities were very common, 61.2% reported at least one comorbidity; the main predictor of symptoms of sleep was the number of comorbidities found in each individual both in the group of patients with insomnia and regular use of sedatives [RRR = 1.5 (95% CI 1.3-1.7), p < 0.0001], as in the group of symptoms of OSA [RRR = 1.6 (95% CI 1.1-3.3), p = 0.02].

Conclusions:

After controlling for gender, smoking history, obesity and the presence of symptoms of anxiety and depression, symptoms of sleep was the main independent predictor of the number of comorbidities. Applying a simple questionnaire, we could identify individuals with multiple comorbidities and with a particularly high risk of sleep-related symptoms that require emergency treatment and thus be referred to clinics specializing in sleep.