DOI: 10.17826/cumj.1919626 ISSN: 2602-3032

Sleep quality and the dermatology life quality index in chronic inflammatory skin diseases

Selen Taner Akbay, Suhan Günaştı Topal
Purpose: This study evaluated sleep quality in patients with Chronic inflammatory skin diseases (CISD) and examined its association with dermatology-related quality of life, pruritus severity, clinical characteristics, lifestyle factors, and comorbidities.Materials and Methods: This single-center cross-sectional study included 200 adult patients with atopic dermatitis, chronic spontaneous urticaria, lichen planus, or psoriasis. Participants completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), and a visual analogue scale for pruritus.Results: After exclusion of five patients with incomplete data, 195 participants were included in the final analysis. Poor sleep quality (PSQI>5) was present in 100 patients (51.3%), and the mean PSQI and DLQI scores were 5.8±3.5 and 6.5±6.1, respectively. Poor sleep quality was observed in 63.4% of patients with atopic dermatitis, 58.0% with psoriasis, 45.8% with chronic spontaneous urticaria, and 40.0% with lichen planus. Higher DLQI scores (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.05–1.18), psychiatric comorbidity (OR 29.59, 95% CI 3.82–228.93), and occasional alcohol consumption (OR 3.29, 95% CI 1.06–10.20) were independent predictors of poor sleep quality. Patients reporting a strong perceived impact of skin disease on sleep had a markedly higher frequency of DLQI scores above the median than those reporting no sleep impact (83.9% vs 30.0%).Conclusions: Sleep quality is markedly impaired in patients with CISDs and is strongly associated with dermatology-related quality of life, psychiatric comorbidity, and alcohol use. These findings highlight the importance of a multidisciplinary approach aimed at improving sleep and overall well-being in patients with CISD.