Association Between Sleep Quality and Clinical-Cognitive Parameters in Multiple Sclerosis: A Multidisciplinary Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: Sleep disturbances are a common symptom among patients with multiple sclerosis (MS).The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a reliable and practical tool for assessing sleep quality.The present study examined the association between sleep quality and clinical and radiologic characteristics in individuals with MS. Materials and Methods:In this retrospective study, 137 patients with MS (PwMS) were included following stringent clinical, radiologic, and psychiatric exclusion criteria.Demographic, clinical, cognitive, and neuroimaging data were extracted from medical records.Sleep quality was assessed using the PSQI, with a global score ≥5 indicating poor sleep quality.Results: Among the 137 PwMS, no significant differences were observed in demographic, clinical, cognitive, or radiologic parameters between those with good and poor sleep quality.However, walking speed was significantly slower in poor sleepers (p=0.005).Sleep onset latency and subjective sleep quality were strongly correlated with overall PSQI scores.In contrast, lesion location, corpus callosum index, and measures of brainstem or spinal cord atrophy showed no association with sleep quality.Conclusion: Sleep quality is adversely affected in PwMS and correlates with lower-limb physical performance.Patients' self-assessments of sleep quality appear consistent.Prolonged sleep onset latency is an important factor, while the effects of sleep duration and disturbance are less significant.