Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026
Measuring Psoriasis Severity at Home
Published on: March 1, 2024
Disease severity, scratching, and sleep quality in patients with atopic dermatitis
Bruce G Bender1, Robert Ballard, Beth Canono
1Department of Pediatrics, National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, Colorado 80206, USA. benderb@njc.org
Background:
The relationship between sleep quality and disease severity in patients with atopic dermatitis has not been clearly defined.
Methods:
Sleep efficiency and scratching were measured over 2 nights by polysomnography, actigraphy, and self-report in 20 adults with atopic dermatitis. Tumor necrosis factor, interleukin (IL)-6, and IL-10 were assayed from a subset of 9 participants.
Results:
Sleep measured by actigraphy and polysomnography were strongly associated with each other. Decreased sleep efficiency was associated with increasing disease severity, scratching, and IL-6. Self-reported sleep quality and quality of life were not significantly correlated with either objective sleep measure.
Limitations:
Results in this pilot study await confirmation in a larger investigation.
Conclusion:
Objective measures but not self-report documented that increasing severity of atopic dermatitis results in more scratching and declining sleep quality. Our data also suggest an important relationship between sleep and IL-6.
