Evaluation of Spirometric Measures and Quality of Sleep in Tuberculosis Patients and Their Non-Tuberculosis Family Caregivers

Background and Aim Tuberculosis (TB) patients may present with depression and poor sleep as co-morbidities. This presents great challenges including the stigma of increased risk of developing TB while taking care of such patients. This study aims to determine the lung functions, quality of sleep in tuberculosis patients in comparison with non-tuberculosis (non-TB) family caregivers. Methods TB patients and their family caregivers (60 each) visiting the Directly Observed Therapy Short-course (DOTS) clinic at a tertiary care hospital were assessed for spirometric parameters and quality of sleep. Spirometry measurements were performed using a portable, computerized, pre-calibrated, electronic, dry type of machine. Pulmonary function impairment pattern and severity were assessed from spirometry results using a percentage of the predicted values of Forced Vital Capacity (FVC) and Forced Expiratory Volume in one second (FEV 1 ). Descriptive statistics and t-tests were applied using SPSS version 19.0. p≤0.05 was considered significant. Results TB patients had a significantly more (p=0.000) sleep disturbance, daytime dysfunction, and higher mean global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) score (9.56±3.97) compared to their non-TB family caregivers (4.36±2.07). The spirometric measures were reduced in TB patients and showed significant differences in actual measures of all parameters except FVC (actual). The % predicted measures of FEV 1 , FEF 25%-75% , PEFR, and MVV showed significant differences in comparison to their non-TB family caregivers. Conclusions The present study shows that TB patients have a poor quality of sleep and pulmonary functions compared to their non-TB family caregivers. Health care workers need to develop systematic strategies to screen the symptoms of mental disorders in tuberculosis patients and their family caregivers to enable better management of this population.