Sleep Disturbances and Non-REM Phase Alterations in Children with Celiac Disease: A Combined Questionnaire and EEG Study.

Background

Celiac disease (CD) is a multisystem immune-mediated disorder increasingly recognized to affect sleep and neurobehavioral functioning. Pediatric data remain limited, and no prior study has examined especially for sleep microstructure in this population. This study evaluates the prevalence and patterns of sleep disturbances in children with CD using the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) and explores potential electrophysiological correlates through N2 sleep spindle analysis.

Methods

Children with biopsy-confirmed CD (n = 31) and age-matched controls (n = 25) completed the SDSC. A subgroup of CD patients with SDSC ≥ 35 and healthy controls underwent quantitative sleep spindle analysis (C3, C4, O1, O2) using automated and visual verification methods combined.

Results

Clinically significant sleep disturbances were substantially more prevalent in CD than in controls (77.4% vs. 12%). Excessive somnolence, sleep-wake transition disorders, and sleep hyperhidrosis were the most affected domains. Moreover, among children with CD, those noncompliant with a gluten-free diet exhibited higher rates of excessive somnolence and sleep-wake transition disorders. While spindle parameters did not differ between groups, higher SDSC scores (≥35)-particularly in the somnolence and sleep-wake transition disorder domains-are associated with reduced spindle amplitude and density, suggesting that spindle alterations are linked to sleep disturbance severity rather than disease status per se.

Conclusions

Sleep disturbances are common in pediatric CD and worsen with poor dietary adherence. Although sleep microarchitecture is largely preserved, reduced spindle activity is evident in children with higher subjective sleep burden, suggesting that spindle metrics may serve as potential objective markers for sleep disturbance. Longitudinal studies are required for validation.