Tehran University of Medical Sciences Acta Medica Iranica 0044-6025 54 3 2016 04 05 176 184 EN Mohammad Reza Abassi Nephrology Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Amin Safavi Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Masoumeh Haghverdi Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. Babak Saedi Department of Otolaryngology, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. 2016 04 05 2016 04 05 Kidney failure affects different aspects of normal life. Among different manifestations, sleep problem can be considered as a common complaint of ESRD (End Stage Renal Disease) patients. In this study, we aimed to investigate the interrelationship between sleep disorders in ESRD patients and their characteristics. Through a cross-sectional study (2010-2011), 88 ESRD patients undergoing maintenance hemodialysis thrice weekly were recruited to enter the study. We used a self-administered questionnaire into which the data were reflected. The patients selected their specific sleep disorders using a nine-item scale while the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) determined both the presence and severity of sleep disorders. The data was finally analyzed with their baseline characteristics, dialysis characteristics, medication/stimulants use, and clinical and biochemical parameters. Over 95% of the patients had, at least, one specific sleep disorder while the ESS revealed 36.36% of patients as normal, 59.09% as having mild sleep disorders, and 4.54% as having moderate to severe sleep disorders. Sleep disorders were significantly correlated with older ages (P=0.035), dialysis dose (P=0.001), blood creatinine levels (P=0.037), upper airways obstruction (P=0.035), hepatomegaly (P=0.006), hepatic failure (P=0.001), higher blood TSH levels (P=0.039), history of hypothyroidism (P=0.005), and the use of levodopa (P=0.004), anti-hypertensive medications (P=0.006), benzodiazepines (P=0.006), Eprex (Erythropoietin) (P=0.001), Venofer (Iron Sucrose Injection) (P=0.013), and phosphate-binders agents (P=0.018). Sleep disorders are common findings among ESRD patients and seem to be a more complicated issue than a simple accumulation of the wastes products in the body. Whatever the causes of sleep disorders are, disorder-specific treatments should be considered. https://acta.tums.ac.ir/index.php/acta/article/view/5551 https://acta.tums.ac.ir/index.php/acta/article/download/5551/4763