Psoriasis alters patients’ quality of life. Among the disorders associated with psoriasis, sleep disorders are common, although they are not directly assessed by most quality-of-life scores. Thus, their specific evaluation with dedicated scores is necessary, especially because such disorders alter physical and psychological health. The relationship between psoriasis and sleep disorders has not yet been fully elucidated, but numerous studies in the literature show links between the two. Our study aims to update knowledge about sleep disorders in patients with psoriasis through a review of the scientific literature since 1980. This work covers several topics of interest, such as sleep assessment methods, the prevalence of sleep disorders in patients with psoriasis, factors predictive of sleep disorders in patients with psoriasis, the impact of sleep disorders on comorbidities and quality of life, pathogenic mechanisms, obstructive sleep apnoea and restless leg syndromes, and the impact of biotherapy treatments on sleep disorders in patients with psoriasis.
Introduction
Previous studies showed more sleep disturbance (SD) in patients with cutaneous disorders (CD). During CD, unpleasant subjective symptoms [USS], such as itch, pain and others (tingling, burning, or tightness) have a negative influence on sleep quality. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of SD in CD patients and to identify the influence of itch, pain and other unpleasant sensations on SD.
Materials and Methods
An international, anonymized real-life survey was conducted with individuals [18−75 years], with physician-confirmed CD, or without CD. The 25 items covered sociodemographic characteristics, feeling of overall sleep quality and skin unpleasant sensations. Severity of SD and unpleasant sensations were assessed using a 10-cm Visual Analogue Scale (VAS).
Results
From 3834 analyzed questionnaires, 2871 (67.3%) were in the CD group and 863 (32.7%) in the control group. Patients with CD had significantly more SD (71.2% vs 32.7% in the control group, p<0.0001). CD patients without any reported unpleasant sensation were at higher risk for SD than control subjects (OR 1,362 [95% CI 1.975–2.405] p=0.0013). SS were highly associated with SD (OR 1.641 [95% CI 1.393–1.933] p<0.0001). Pruritus, pain and intermediate sensations were significant predictors of SD, with odds ratios of 1.670, 1.625 and 1.326, respectively. VAS sleep scores were strongly associated with pruritus (r: 0.25, p<0.0001) and pain (r: 0.25 p<0.0001) severity ratings.
Discussion
SD is a common problem for patients with CD. Patients with subjective symptoms suffer more from SD, suggesting that they are aggravating factors, but are likely not the only reason for SD in CD patients. We found that during CD, intermediate sensations also contribute to SD. Despite some limitations and the potential bias due to the study design, our results confirm for the first time on an international level the influence of subjective symptoms on sleep quality in patients with CD.
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