Alopecia Areata Cause of Poor Sleep Quality

According to a recent study, patients with alopecia areata who have poor sleep quality may also have anxiety and depression, resulting in a poor quality of life.

The researchers aimed to compare the sleep quality between individuals with alopecia areata and those without. Further, they examined the impact that poor quality of sleep has on mood disturbances, and their quality of life and sexuality.

Participants (n = 120) were divided equally into two cohorts: patients with alopecia areata (n = 60), and individuals without the disease (n = 60). The researchers collected data on participants' socio-demographic and clinical variables, sleep quality, quality of life, sexual dysfunction, anxiety, depression, and personality.

In patients with alopecia areata, they presented worse sleep scores (p = 0.003) than individuals without alopecia areata. Additionally, the researchers found that patients with alopecia areata had higher rates of anxiety and depression compared with those that did not have the disease (p < 0.05).

After the researchers conducted an analysis of all the variables, they found that worse sleep quality was linked to anxiety, depression, poorer quality of life, and a type D personality score. This was independent of disease severity.

“Screening for sleep disturbances in specialized units could be useful to detect patients who could benefit from additional psychological support,” the researchers added.

—Jessica Ganga

Reference:

Sánchez-Diaz M, Díaz-Calvillo P, Soto-Moreno A, Molina-Leyva A, Arias-Santiago S. The impact of sleep quality on mood status and quality of life in patients with alopecia areata: a comparative study. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022; 19(20):13126. doi:10.3390/ijerph192013126.