Almost half (42%) of patients with skin disease experience sleep disturbances, according to a major study that analysed over 50,000 adults across 20 countries to assess the impact of skin diseases.

The findings, presented at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2023 in Berlin, Germany, showed that the sleep disturbances were found to have broader implications on patients’ quality of life.

Other issues experienced by the patients

Nearly half (49%) of patients with skin disease reported reduced productivity at work, in contrast with just one in five (19%) participants without a skin disease.

The main symptoms that impacted the sleep of patients with skin disease were itching (60%) and burning sensations or tingling (17%).

In addition, patients more frequently experienced a feeling of fatigue as soon as they woke up (81% vs 64% in the non-skin disease population), periods of drowsiness during the day (83% vs 71%), tingling sensations in the eyes (58% vs 42% ) and repeated yawning (72% vs 58% ) than those who did not have a skin disease.

Adding sleep to the questions to the patients

“Our study is the first to uncover the profound impact of sleep disturbances on the physical functioning of patients with skin disease, and these findings underscore the critical need for early detection and effective management of sleep disturbances,” said lead author Dr Charles Taieb, who heads the company in Paris, France.

“Moving forward, health care providers should be encouraged to integrate sleep disturbance questions into the examinations of patients with skin conditions to foster a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of skin diseases,” added Dr Bruno Halioua, a dermatologist practising in Paris.

(Source: IANS)

-Edited for style

For more such updates and news on the go, follow us on

Instagram | YouTube | Facebook