Sleep and interstitial lung disease.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: There is an increasing recognition of the impact of sleep and sleep disorders on respiratory disease. Recent years have seen a new focus on the relationship between sleep and outcomes in patients interstitial lung disease (ILD).

RECENT FINDINGS: Recent studies suggest a high prevalence of sleep issues in ILD cohorts, which seem to have a meaningful negative impact on quality of life, disease progression, and survival.

SUMMARY: Sleep disordered breathing is common in ILD patients: obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is found in 44-72% of ILD patients, and nocturnal hypoxemia is relatively common even in the absence of OSA. Sleep disorders are associated with worse quality of life in ILD, and may also predict more rapid disease progression and increased mortality. It remains unknown if nocturnal hypoxemia may itself cause progression of ILD. Uncontrolled and retrospective studies have suggested that treating OSA may improve ILD-related outcomes, but prospective studies are lacking in this field.