Sleep disturbance of end-stage renal disease.

Sleep disturbance of patients with end-stage renal disease was examined in a sample of 127 patients receiving hemodialysis (HD) therapy. The results indicate that sleep disturbance occurs quite often. Especially, there was a high incidence of sleep disturbance with prolonged HD therapy and with advancing age, and that somatic complications due to long-term HD indirectly influence sleep disturbance. On the effect of drug therapy, levodopa produced significant clinical effects on RLS compared to ordinary hypnotics. Carbamazepine equally tended to produce favorable clinical effects on RLS.