Insufficient Sleep And Mortality Among Persons Who Inject Drugs (Pwid)

Abstract Introduction Insufficient sleep is associated with all-cause mortality in the general population. Illicit drugs have pronounced effects upon sleep, and insomnia symptoms are common among people with HIV (PWH), suggesting persons who inject drugs (PWID) with HIV may be at higher risk of adverse outcomes from insufficient sleep. Methods Participants in the AIDS Linked to the IntraVenous Experience (ALIVE) study, a cohort of PWID with or without HIV, completed the Sleep Adequacy subscale of the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) semi-annually from 2005-present. Two questions queried participants about the frequency over the past four-weeks of: 1. getting sufficient sleep to feel rested on awakening; 2. obtaining needed amount of sleep. Six-Item responses ranged from “all of the time” to “none of the time”. Participants with mean subscale scores below the sample median were considered to have insufficient sleep. Mortality data were obtained through the National Death Index through 2018. Hazards of all-cause and cause-specific mortality were evaluated using Cox-regressions accounting for repeated measurements of insufficient sleep, respectively. Models were adjusted for sociodemographics, HIV and HCV infection, severe depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression [CESD]≥23), number of comorbidities (0, 1, ≥2), active injection drug use, current tobacco and alcohol use. Results Of 2612 participants (33% HIV+), mean age at baseline was 45.8 years, 32.4% were female, 75% Black, 45% had ≥high school education, and 33% had an annual income >$5,000. At baseline, the majority were current smokers (84%), alcohol drinkers (59%), or actively injecting drugs (56%), while 25% had severe depressive symptoms and 21% had ≥2 comorbidities. After adjustment for covariates, insufficient sleep was associated with a 37% increased hazard of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.37, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.13–1.65). Insufficient sleep was associated with a 93% increased hazard of death from HIV or infectious disease-related deaths (HR: 1.93, 95% CI: 1.26–2.97). Conclusion Insufficient sleep was independently associated with all-cause mortality and specifically with death from HIV or infectious diseases-related causes among PWID. Interventions consider targeting sleep behaviors among PWID hold promise for improving health and longevity in this population. Support (if any) National Institutes of Health grants: U01-DA-036297; R01-DA-047064; R01-HL-90483; K24-AI-118591; T32-DA007292; R01-DA039408.