594 Sleep Trajectories Between the Age of 2 and 5 are Associated with Blood Cytokine Levels at Age 5 in the EDEN Birth-Cohort Study

Abstract

Abstract Introduction There is a reciprocal interaction between sleep and the immune system. Activation of the immune system changes the quality of sleep, and sleep regulates innate and adaptive immune responses. While these interactions have been studied in adults and adolescents, only a few studies have focused on school age children and none on preschoolers. Here, we have studied the association between night sleep trajectories between the age of 2 and 5 and serum levels of four cytokines in 5-year-old children. Methods A total of 687 children (44% girls) from the EDEN French birth cohort were included. Information on night sleep trajectories between 2 and 5 was available in all included individuals, as well as the levels of Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin (IL)-6, interferon gamma (IFN-gamma), and IL-10 in 5-year-old children. The associations between sleep trajectories and cytokines were assessed by multivariate linear regressions adjusted for socioeconomic, familial, maternal, perinatal and child factors. Results A shorter sleep duration trajectory (<10h/night, 4.5% of children) was associated with higher levels of IL-6 when compared to the reference trajectory (≈11h30/night, 37.4% of children). A longer sleep duration trajectory (≥11h3/night, 40.9% of children) was associated with higher levels of IL-10. A changing sleep duration trajectory (≥11h30/night followed by 10h30/night, 5.6% of children) was associated with increased levels of TNF-alpha. No statically significant association was observed between sleep duration trajectories and IFN-gamma. Conclusion This first longitudinal study in preschoolers demonstrates an association between sleep duration trajectories and blood levels of IL-6, IL-10 and TNF-alpha. While association does not imply causation, our results are compatible with an impact of sleep duration on low-grade inflammation in preschool children. Should our results be replicated in an independent study sample, it would pave the way for a better understanding of the interactions between sleep and the immune system. Support (if any):