Treatment Improves Sleep Disturbances Among Patients With AD

Recent data suggests treatment with Dupixent (dupilumab; Regeneron, Sanofi) effectively improves sleep disturbances in adult patients with atopic dermatitis (AD).

“Sleep disturbances are common in patients with [AD],” researchers explained. “Considering their relevant burden on health, routine screening of sleep disturbances seems to be very useful in AD adults management.”

According to the researchers, there have only been a few studies that evaluated the association between sleep disturbances and AD among adults.

To assess the effect of treatment with dupilumab on sleep disturbances in adult patients with severe AD, a retrospective, multicenter study was conducted. The study included patients age 18 years and older with severe atopic dermatitis who were treated with dupilumab for at least 8 months from January 2019 to January 2020. The study authors evaluated patients three times during the study period—at the start of treatment, and then at 4 months and 8 months. Disease activity was assessed by severity score (Eczema Area and Severity Index, EASI), patient-reported outcomes (Pruritus Numerical Rating Scale, NRS, Dermatology Life Quality Index, DLQI, and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, PSQI).

Based on the criteria, the research team identified 36 patients (15 females and 21 males) with a mean age of 42.5±14.3 (range 20-67). According to the findings, the mean score at week 16 for PSQI was 4.92±2.99. At week 32, the mean score for PSQI was 4.3± 3.0. Further, during follow-up, EASI, NRS pruritus, and DLQI significantly improved (P<.001), and PSQI improved significantly at 16 weeks, but no significant further improvement was observed at 32 weeks.

Additional findings showed that of 31 patients (81%) who had a baseline PSQI ≥ 5, 17 (54%) experienced sleep quality improvement during treatment.

“Overall, we observed a total of 22 patients (61.1%) having a PSQI <5 at 32 weeks, they wrote.”

“Our data show effectiveness of Dupilumab in improving sleep disturbances in adult patients with severe AD.”

Reference:
Milanesi N, Gola M, Cartocci A, et al. Effect of dupilumab on sleep disturbances in adult patients with severe atopic dermatitis [published online ahead of print, 2021 Jul 20]. Ital J Dermatol Venerol. 2021;10.23736/S2784-8671.21.07072-9. doi:10.23736/S2784-8671.21.07072-9