This Article  • Full text  • PDF  • Send to a friend  • Save in My Folder  • Save to citation manager  • Permissions  Citing Articles  • Citation map  • Citing articles on HighWire  • Citing articles on Web of Science (29)  • Contact me when this article is cited  Related Content  • Similar articles in this journal  Topic Collections  • Pediatrics, Other  • Alert me on articles by topic  Social Bookmarking   What's this?

Haim Reuveni, MD; Gil Chapnick, BSc; Asher Tal, MD; Ariel Tarasiuk, PhD

Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1999;153:249-253.

Objective  To characterize the sleep pattern of children with atopic dermatitis in clinical remission.

Methods  Fourteen children with atopic dermatitis, with a mean±SD age of 6±2 years, were recruited consecutively from a pediatric dermatology clinic. No participant had any other medical or psychiatric illness. The control group (n=9, mean age 7±1.8 years) was composed of children with mild "benign" snoring and no evidence of respiratory disturbance during sleep. All participating children were evaluated by formal all-night polysomnography, scratch electrodes, and self-reported questionnaires filled in by their parents.

Results  The patients were studied when their skin condition was in remission. Sleep latency, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency were similar to the control group. The atopic dermatitis group had an average of 24.1 ± 8.1 events per hour of arousals and awakenings, compared with 15.4 ± 6.2 events per hour in the control group (P<.001). Direct observation, video monitoring, and scratch electrodes provided evidence of between 1 to 19 bouts of scratching per night, accounting for only 15% of the arousals and awakenings. The rest of the arousals and awakenings were not associated with any specific, identifiable polysomnographic event, such as apnea or jerks.

Conclusion  Children with atopic dermatitis in clinical remission have sleep disturbances that are not related to scratching per se.

From the Pediatric Dermatology Clinic (Dr Reuveni and Mr Chapnick), the Sleep Wake Disorders Unit (Drs Tal and Tarasiuk and Mr Chapnick), and the Departments of Pediatrics (Dr Tal) and Physiology (Dr Tarasiuk), Soroka Medical Center and Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter     What's this?

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

Adolescents Living the 24/7 Lifestyle: Effects of Caffeine and Technology on Sleep Duration and Daytime Functioning
Calamaro et al.
Pediatrics 2009;123:e1005-e1010.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Childhood Atopic Dermatitis Impact Scale: Reliability, Discriminative and Concurrent Validity, and Responsiveness
Chamlin et al.
Arch Dermatol 2007;143:768-772.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Sleepless in America: Inadequate Sleep and Relationships to Health and Well-being of Our Nation's Children
Smaldone et al.
Pediatrics 2007;119:S29-S37.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Pharmacologic management of insomnia in children and adolescents: consensus statement.
Mindell et al.
Pediatrics 2006;117:e1223-e1232.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Price of Pruritus: Sleep Disturbance and Cosleeping in Atopic Dermatitis
Chamlin et al.
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med 2005;159:745-750.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Sleep-Related Nighttime Crying (Yonaki) in Japan: A Community-Based Study
Fukumizu et al.
Pediatrics 2005;115:217-224.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effects of Atopic Dermatitis on Young American Children and Their Families
Chamlin et al.
Pediatrics 2004;114:607-611.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Sleep Characteristics Following Adenotonsillectomy in Children With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome
Tal et al.
Chest 2003;124:948-953.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT