Physiological sleep disturbance in children with atopic dermatitis: a case control study.

It is generally acknowledged that sleep disturbance commonly complicates atopic dermatitis (AD), but the nature of this disturbance, including its physiologic aspects, has been little studied, especially in children. The results of home polysomnography (PSG) were compared for 20 school-age children with AD and sex- and age-matched healthy controls. The findings provided objective confirmation of disruption of sleep by both brief and longer awakenings associated with scratching episodes. Sleep efficiency was reduced but other sleep variables were not significantly affected. Home sleep studies offer advantages for further investigation of the factors involved in the link between AD and sleep disturbance, and the assessment of the contribution made by this disturbance to the daytime psychological problems of children with AD.