Does Behcet’s disease affect the quality of sleep?

Abstract

This research aimed to evaluate the sleep quality (QoS) in individuals with Behçet's disease (BD) compared to a control group of healthy individuals. Additionally, it sought to investigate any possible correlation between BD activity and sleep quality. In this case-control study, individuals with BD and healthy controls, matched for age and gender, were enrolled. The study collected demographic information, body mass indexes (BMI), and disease durations. The BD Behcet disease current activity form (BDCAF) was employed to gauge the disease activity of BD, while the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was utilized to evaluate the QoS. PSQI scores were compared between the patients and controls and the possible correlation between PSQI and BDCAF scores were investigated. Besides, demographic features, disease characteristics, total score and sub parameters of disease activity were compared between BD cases with and without poor QoS. Among 56 BD patients and 56 controls, there were no significant differences in age, gender distribution, or BMI. BD cases demonstrated significantly higher QoS scores than controls (PSQI score: 6.5±4.84 in cases, 3.7±1.48 in controls, p=0.022). While no correlation was observed between PSQI, demographic characteristics, and disease duration, a notable positive correlation emerged between PSQI and BDCAF total score (p=0.037, r=0.458). No statistical difference was determined between demographic data, disease duration, and BDCAF sub parameters between patients with poor (24 patients, 42%) and without poor QoS (32 patients, 58%); however, the total score of BDCAF was significantly higher than those of BD with low QoS (p= 0.021). Our study data suggest that impaired sleep quality in BD cases may be linked to overall disease activity, irrespective of the specific form of involvement. Consideration of QoS in the management of BD will contribute to a holistic approach to the disease.