Disease activity may be associated with sleep quality in pediatric patients with inflammatory bowel disease

1. In this retrospective study, it was found that inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) activity was associated with poorer sleep scores in pediatric patients.

2. Furthermore, pediatric patients with IBD demonstrated poorer overall sleep compared to controls, as evidenced by a later sleep time and shorter sleep duration in IBD patients.

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)

Sleep disturbances are common among patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and there is a well-identified link between sleep disorders and conditions of the gastrointestinal tract. However, the impact of IBD disease activity and sleep disturbances has not been well established, particularly in younger populations. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the association between disease activity and sleep in pediatric patients with IBD.

The study enlisted 99 (n=44 Crohn’s disease, 55 ulcerative colitis) pediatric patients who were assessed for their IBD between 2015 and 2020 and 80 healthy controls. Patients were included if they were between 6 and 18 years old. Patient medical records were retrospectively reviewed, and the pediatric ulcerative colitis index (PUCAI) and Crohn’s disease activity index (PCDAI) were administered to determine IBD disease activity. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) was administered to all participants to assess sleep quality. The primary outcome was the association between disease activity and sleep quality.

The results demonstrated a strong correlation between IBD disease activity index and PSQI scores for patients with both Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative colitis, suggesting an association between disease activity and poor sleep quality. Furthermore, those in the IBD group demonstrated poorer overall sleep than controls, as evidenced by a later sleep time and shorter sleep duration. The study was limited by its retrospective design, which prevented further analysis of the long-term effects of IBD on sleep disturbance. Nonetheless, the study identified that pediatric patients with IBD may experience poorer sleep quality, which can be worsened by disease activity.

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Click to read the study in European Journal of Pediatrics

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