Objective Sleep in Atopic Dermatitis: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background: The evidence regarding objective sleep especially for the sleep architecture in atopic dermatitis (AD) was limited and not well summarized. Objective: To determine the objective sleep in AD patients as well as its confounders. Methods: We searched PubMed/Medline, Embase, and PsycInfo up to May 2021. Case-control studies or cohort studies that recruited AD patients and healthy controls and reported objective sleep parameters assessed by polysomnography or actigraphy were included. Results: A total of 7 studies with 173 AD patients and 122 controls were analyzed. Specifically, AD patients have significantly decreased total sleep time (TST, -13.797 minutes) and sleep efficiency (SE, -5.589%) accompanied by prolonged wake time after sleep onset (WASO, 29.972 minutes) and rapid eye movement sleep latency (31.894 minutes, all P < 0.05). Furthermore, subgroup analyses showed more WASO in severe AD subgroup compared with nonsevere AD subgroup (51.323 minutes vs 20.966 minutes, P = 0.032), less SE in male-majority subgroup compared with female-majority subgroup (-9.443% vs -4.997%, P = 0.018), and less TST in adult subgroup compared with child subgroup (-41.045 vs -4.016 minutes, P = 0.037). Conclusion: Objective sleep was worse in AD patients, especially among patients with severe AD, males, and adults. AD appears to more predispose difficulty in sleep maintenance rather than falling asleep.