The Prevalence of Sleep Disorders in Patients with Alopecia Areata

Document Type : Original Article (s)

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Skin and Stem Cell Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences AND Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 General Practitioner, Skin Disease and Leishmaniasis Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan AND Department of Dermatology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

4 Resident, Skin Disease and Leishmaniasis Research Center, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan AND Department of Dermatology, Rasoul Akram Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background: Alopecia areata is a chronic inflammatory disorder that causes nonscarring hair loss. The cause is unknown, but an interaction between autoimmune and psychological factors may trigger the disease. Sleep deprivation is associated with a variety of adverse consequences including the effects on both psychological and physical health. Sleep deprivation can adversely affect immune function and exacerbate autoimmunity. Poor sleep quality is also associated with stress.Method: A case control study was conducted on 92 patients divided into two groups of 46, those diagnosed with alopecia areata and a healthy population. The demographic information of both groups was gathered with a questionnaire and the sleep quality was evaluated using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a self-rated questionnaire that assesses sleep quality and disturbances over a 1-month time interval. SPSS16 was used to analyze the data. P value of less than 0.05 was considered significant.Findings: 45.7% of patients with alopecia areata and 21.7% of the control group had sleep disorders. The difference between these percentages was significant (P < 0.05). There was not any significant difference in the scores of PSQI between the two groups (mean score = 5.37 and 4.04 in alopecia areata and control groups, respectively). The mean night sleep hours in patients with alopecia areata (6.73 hours) was significantly lower than the normal population (7.76 hours).Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that the poor sleep quality is more common among patients with  alopecia areata compared to the normal population; but the difference of the severity of sleep disturbances between the two groups was not statistically significant.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Isfahan Medical School
Volume 33, Issue 365 - Serial Number 365
November and December 2016
Pages 2296-2301

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History

  • Receive Date: 01 October 2015
  • Revise Date: 23 May 2024
  • Accept Date: 06 April 2022

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