Karolina Kaaz, Jacek C. Szepietowski, Łukasz Matusiak
DOI: 10.2340/00015555-3065

Subjective symptoms accompanying atopic dermatitis and psoriasis can negatively influence patients’ well-being. This study assessed the impact of itch and pain on sleep quality among 100 patients with atopic dermatitis and 100 patients with psoriasis, compared with 50 controls. The Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were used to evaluate a spectrum of sleep disturbances. Co-existence of insomnia was indicated in the majority of patients; atopic dermatitis; 82%, psoriasis; 62%. PSQI total scores for patients with atopic dermatitis (8.3 ± 4.2 points) and those with psoriasis (8.1 ± 4.8 points) qualified them, in 80% of cases, as poor sleepers and were significantly higher compared with controls (3.1 ± 1.9 points). However, subjects with atopic dermatitis experienced more problems with insomnia and sleep quality than did those with psoriasis. Atopic dermatitis and psoriasis-related itch, but not pain, has a substantial association with insomnia and sleep quality in these patients, and is a crucial subjective symptom in these chronic, inflammatory skin diseases.

Atopic dermatitis and psoriasis are chronic, inflammatory and debilitating skin conditions. As skin conditions can affect sleep activity, it is possible that such dermatoses can disturb sleep quality. Moreover, atopic dermatitis- and psoriasis-related subjective symptoms may worsen sleep disturbances. In this study, we demonstrate that patients with atopic dermatitis experience far more problems with insomnia and sleep quality than those with psoriasis. We show that atopic dermatitis and psoriasis-related itch, but not pain, has a substantial association with insomnia and sleep quality, and is a crucial subjective symptom in these two chronic inflammatory diseases.