Sleep problems in 0-36 months old Indonesian children with atopic dermatitis

Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic, relapsing, highly pruritic skin condition that develops in early childhood. Sleep problems are common in AD children and lead to impaired quality of life, disturbance of neurocognitive function and behavior. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of sleep problems in 0-36 months old Indonesian children with AD. Children aged 0-36 months were enrolled, divided into two groups, AD and control. Sleep problems and AD were assessed using Brief Infant Sleep Questionnaire (BISQ) and Severity Scoring of Atopic Dermatitis Index (SCORAD). Chi-square test was performed to compare the outcome. There were 35 children participating in each group. In children with sleep problems, 85.7% were diagnosed with AD and 11.4% were non-AD. Nocturnal sleep duration, night waking, nocturnal wakefulness, sleep onset time, method of falling asleep and parental consideration of sleep problems occur more often within AD group. Severity of AD also significantly contributes to sleep problems in AD group. In conclusion, this study showed that sleep problems are more prevalent in children with AD.