Pediatric Asthma Plus Atopic Dermatitis Associated With Poor Sleep Outcomes

This article is part of Pulmonology Advisor‘s coverage of the ACAAI 2019 meeting, taking place in Houston, TX. Our staff will report on medical research related to allergies, asthma, and more conducted by experts in the field. Check back regularly for more news from ACAAI 2019.

HOUSTON — Asthma plus atopic dermatitis may lead to poorer sleep-specific outcomes in pediatric patients, according to research presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology, held November 7 to11, 2019, in Houston, Texas.

Researchers assessed sleep outcomes in a group of urban children with asthma to determine whether the presence of atopic dermatitis — a common comorbid condition — might increase the risk for poor sleep.

Data were collected from the Nocturnal Asthma and Performance in School study, which focused on urban and ethnically diverse children between ages 7 and 9. Overall, 371 children were enrolled; 206 children had persistent asthma, 35 had persistent asthma plus atopic dermatitis, and 130 were healthy control study participants.

The researchers assessed objective sleep quality during the course of an academic year.

Significant group differences were noted in sleep outcomes. In the healthy control group, overall sleep efficiency and duration was higher, coupled with fewer awakenings during the night. Sleep efficiency and nighttime awakenings were poorest among children with asthma plus atopic dermatitis (F=5.82; P =.003 for both). By ethnicity, sleep duration was highest in non-Latino white, followed by black, and lastly by Latino patients (F=8.31; P =.001) in the asthma plus atopic dermatitis group.

Overall, sleep outcomes were poorer among children with asthma plus atopic dermatitis.

“Interventions for children with asthma [plus atopic dermatitis] may need to focus on sleep with treatment recommendations tailored specifically for urban children’s asthma and sleep needs,” the researchers concluded.

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Reference

Aquino M, Kopel S, Dunsiger S, Mitchell DK. Sleep health care disparities in pediatric children with asthma: does atopic dermatitis increase risk? Presented at: American College of Allergy, Asthma, & Immunology Annual Scientific Meeting 2019; November 7-11, 2019; Houston, TX. Abstract P209.