The relationship between sleep quality and pain, fatigue, and mood in individuals with lipedema

Objective This study aimed to comparatively evaluate sleep quality in individuals with lipedema and healthy controls. In addition, the relationships between sleep quality and depression, anxiety, fatigue, and clinical parameters were investigated. Methods This cross-sectional study included 30 women with lipedema and 30 healthy female controls aged 18–75 years. Pain severity in individuals with lipedema was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS). Lipedema stage, comorbidities, and symptom duration were also recorded. Sleep quality was evaluated using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), depressive and anxiety-related symptoms were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and fatigue severity was evaluated using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Results Individuals with lipedema had significantly higher BDI, BAI, and FSS scores than controls (all p < 0.001 except BDI, p = 0.001). Sleep quality was significantly poorer in the lipedema group ( p < 0.001). Among PSQI subcomponents, subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, and daytime dysfunction were significantly worse in individuals with lipedema, while sleep medication use was similar between groups ( p > 0.05). In the lipedema group, PSQI scores were positively correlated with depressive (r = 0.489, p = 0.006) and anxiety symptoms (r = 0.386, p = 0.035). No significant associations were found between sleep quality and age, anthropometric measurements, education duration, pain severity, lipedema stage, symptom duration, or fatigue severity. Conclusions This study demonstrated poorer sleep quality in individuals with lipedema compared to healthy controls. Sleep quality was also associated with depressive and anxiety-related symptoms, highlighting an association between psychological symptoms and sleep problems in individuals with lipedema.