Racial disparities in sleep disturbances among patients with and without coronary artery disease: The role of clinical and socioeconomic factors

Abstract Objective To investigate differences in sleep quality by race in participants with and without a prior myocardial infarction (MI). Design Case-control study. Setting Emory-affiliated hospitals in Atlanta, Georgia. Participants Two hundred and seventy-three individuals (190 Black) ≤60 years of age with a verified MI in the previous 8 months, and 100 community controls (44 Black) without a history of MI. Measurements Sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Psychological factors were assessed using standardized questionnaires and clinical risk factors through medical history and chart review. Results A significant interaction existed between race and MI status on sleep quality (P= .01), such that Black individuals with a history of MI, but not controls, reported worse sleep quality than their non-Black counterparts. Among MI cases, being Black was independently associated with higher PSQI scores after adjusting for baseline demographics (B = 2.17, 95% confidence interval 1.17, 3.17, P = .006). Clinical risk factors, psychological factors and socioeconomic status (household income and years of education) all contributed equally to explain race-related disparities in sleep among MI cases. After further adjustment for these factors, the association was attenuated and no longer significant (B = 0.70, 95% confidence interval = −0.10, 1.21, P = .26). Conclusion Black post-MI patients, but not healthy controls, have significantly poorer sleep quality than non-Blacks. This difference is driven by a combination of factors, including clinical risk factors, psychological factors as well as adverse socioeconomic conditions among Black individuals with MI.