Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria

Sleep quality in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria and relation with Orexin-A, leptin, and ghrelin

Background: Sleep can be affected in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU). The mechanisms of sleep regulation remain poorly understood. Orexin-A, a neuroexcitatory peptide, plays a role in coordinating sleep-wake states. Ghrelin and leptin are involved in sleep regulation through the orexin system. Objective: The effects of orexin-A, ghrelin, and leptin on sleep quality in patients with CSU have not been investigated. We aimed to determine the effects of CSU on sleep quality and the association between serum orexin-A, ghrelin, and leptin levels, and sleep quality in patients with CSU. Methods: Thirty-three patients with CSU and 34 sex- and age-matched controls were included in the study. Serum orexin-A, leptin, and ghrelin levels, and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores were measured in patients with CSU and in the controls; also used were the chronic urticaria quality-of-life questionnaire score and the urticaria activity score used for 7 consecutive days. Results: Median (minimum-maximum) orexin-A, leptin, and ghrelin levels in patients were 385 pg/mL (90-495 pg/mL), 3.1 ng/mL (0-21.2 ng/mL), and 701.8 pg/mL (101.9-827.7 pg/mL), respectively. Median serum orexin-A and leptin levels were higher in the patients compared with the controls (p < 0.001 and p = 0.012, respectively), whereas the median serum ghrelin levels were similar to the controls (p = 0.616). The serum orexin-A level was positively correlated with ghrelin (r = 0.298, p = 0.014), PSQI sleep quality (r = 0.356, p = 0.003), and ESS (r = 0.357, p = 0.003). Conclusion: Serum orexin-A is associated with sleep quality in patients with CSU. Further studies are needed to elucidate the role of ghrelin and leptin on sleep quality in patients with CSU.

Does chronic urticaria affect quality of sleep and quality of life?

Background

Urticaria affects a wide range of daily activities and social relationships. It has a severe impact on quality of life (QOL) and causes psychological problems.

Objective

was to assess the impact of chronic urticaria (CU) on quality of sleep, the levels of depression, anxiety, QOL and their interaction with each other and their relation to disease related factors.

Patients and methods

The study included 25 patients with CU and 25 healthy controls. Urticaria Activity Score (UAS) was used for objective evaluation of the intensity of urticaria. Patients completed a 10-cm visual analogue score (VAS) indicating the overall severity of their itching over the previous 2 weeks. The Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) was used to evaluate patients' QOL. Patients were also assessed for anxiety and depression with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used for evaluation of sleep quality and sleep disturbances.

Results

In our CU patients the mean of UAS7 score was 39.72 ± 2.76 and the mean of VAS score was 28 ± 1.34. The mean of DLQI score was 24.8 ± 4.37 indicating severe impact of QOL. CU patients had higher total HADS score when compared to controls; 72% of the patients had depression and 92% had anxiety. By using PSQI, CU patients had significantly longer sleep latency onset, shorter total sleep duration, lower sleep efficiency and higher PSQI scores compared to controls.

Conclusion

CU highly affects the QOL of patients and is associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression and poor sleep quality.

Neuro-Immuno-Psychological Aspects of Chronic Urticaria

Urticaria is a condition characterized by the development of itchy wheals (hives), angioedema, or both. The pathophysiology of chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is still poorly understood. It is suggested that there is no dominant and independent mechanism of CSU; however, there are different immunological and non-immunological abnormalities that act simultaneously or/and follow each other resulting in clinical symptoms. The latest hypothesis points out that mast cells (MCs) to be activated via autoantibodies in autoallergic or autoimmune mechanism mediators released from degranulated MCs are responsible for the vasoactive and neurospecific effect in CSU. According to many clinical observations, it is suggested that psychological stress can be both a triggering factor in the onset of CSU and a modulating one in the course of the disease and therapy effectiveness. Of importance, the mechanistic background of the psychological stress response in the skin has not yet been fully elucidated. However, of note, a variety of inflammatory mediators, neuropeptides, and neurotransmitters facilitate this phenomenon. This review presents recent findings on the neuro-immuno-psychological aspects of CSU, highlighting an emerging role of neuro-immune interactions. It also points out the usefulness of psychological tools employment for the baseline diagnosis of perceived stress level and the presence of its symptoms. Furthermore, it proposes the implementation of non-invasive interventions to reduce psychological stress and anxiety. A bio-psycho-social approach including psychological support and patient education seems to be as important as traditional pharmacotherapy for CSU. It facilitates the effective control of active disease and a prolonged remission time in this disease.

Relationships between quality of life, sleep problems, and sleep quality in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria

BACKGROUND

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the sleep quality among chronic urticaria patients using the Chronic Urticaria Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (CU-Q2oL), sleep quality assessment tools, and polysomnography and to investigate any relationships between the obtained results.

METHODS

The study included 21 patients diagnosed with chronic spontaneous urticaria and 19 healthy controls. We recorded the patients' sleep quality data, including CU-Q2 oL, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and polysomnography results.

RESULT

Patients in the chronic urticaria group were more likely to have an ESS score of ≥10 (52.4% vs. 5.3%, p = 0.004) and an apnea-hypopnea index of ≥5 (44.4% vs. 5.3%, p = 0.017) compared to the control group. In the patient group, the CU-Q2 oL total score was positively correlated with sleep latency (r = 0.713, p = 0.004) and PSQI-C1 score (r = 0.726, p = 0.005), while it was negatively correlated with urticaria duration (r = -0.579, p = 0.015), apnea-hypopnea index (r = -0.607, p = 0.021), longest apnea duration (r = -0.583, p = 0.029), total number of respiratory events (r = -0.618, p = 0.018), and apnea count (r = -0.686, p = 0.007).

CONCLUSION

We conclude that sleep-related problems exist among a considerably large proportion of patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria.

Ligelizumab improves sleep interference and disease burden in patients with chronic spontaneous urticaria

BACKGROUND

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) negatively impacts patients' sleep, thereby reducing health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Half of patients with inadequately controlled CSU report sleep interference often or every night, which can lead to depression, anxiety, social, and work-related problems.

METHODS

This randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2b core study (NCT02477332) included adult patients ≥18 years with moderate to severe CSU inadequately controlled with H1 -antihistamines. The current analysis includes patients randomized to receive ligelizumab 72 or 240 mg, omalizumab 300 mg or placebo every 4 weeks (q4w) for five injections over 20 weeks with treatment-free follow-up for 24 weeks. Patients could enter the open-label extension study (NCT02649218) from Week 32 onwards if their weekly urticaria activity score was ≥12, which included an open-label treatment (52 weeks of ligelizumab 240 mg q4w) and a 48-week post-treatment follow-up. Weekly Sleep Interference Scores (SIS7, range 0 [no interference]-21 [substantial interference]), Weekly Activity Interference Score (AIS7), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) scores, and Overall Work Impairment were assessed.

RESULTS

Mean baseline SIS7 scores were balanced between the treatment arms for ligelizumab 72 mg (n = 84) and 240 mg (n = 85), omalizumab 300 mg (n = 85), and placebo (n = 43). By Week 12, patients experienced large improvements in sleep interference, with least square mean (standard error) changes from baseline (CFB) in SIS7 of -7.84 (0.58), -7.55 (0.61), -6.98 (0.60), and -5.85 (0.81), respectively. By Week 12, CFB in AIS7 were -8.25 (0.57), -8.25 (0.59), -7.30 (0.60), and -5.62 (0.79), DLQI scores were -9.79 (0.77), -9.93 (0.81), -8.35 (0.79), and -6.99 (1.11), and Overall Work Impairment scores were -28.96 (3.73), -30.76 (3.71), -25.74 (3.91), and -20.13 (5.10) for ligelizumab 72 and 240 mg, omalizumab 300 mg and placebo, respectively. Improvements in each patient-reported outcome were sustained with ligelizumab 240 mg treatment during the extension study.

CONCLUSIONS

Ligelizumab showed effective and sustained responses in managing sleep interference in patients with CSU, and numerically higher responses than with omalizumab and placebo. Treating the symptoms of CSU with ligelizumab improved disease burden, HRQoL, and markedly improved sleep quality.

"Chronic urticaria and obstructive sleep apnea: Is there a significant association?"

Background

Few studies have explored the association between obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and chronic urticaria (CU). Our study aims to fill this gap by determining the frequency of the risk categories for OSA and how they might correlate with the specific CU patient reported outcome measures urticaria activity score (UAS7), urticaria control test (UCT) and CU quality of life questionnaire (CU-Q2oL).

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study involving a cohort of 171 Latin American CU patients. Descriptive statistics were used to determine frequency and proportions for demographic and clinical variables, while a chi-squared test for association between STOP-Bang OSA questionnaire categories and both UAS7 and UCT categories was performed to analyze how such variables interact. To further assess the strength of the correlation a Cramer's V coefficient was reported. Finally, a Kendall-Tau b correlation coefficient was performed to measure the correlation between the STOP-Bang score and other independent continuous variables.

Results

The average STOP-Bang score was 2.5, with 24% and 21% of patients falling into the intermediate and high-risk category for moderate-to-severe OSA, respectively. There was a strong statistically significant association (Cramer's V = 0.263; p = .000) between UAS-7 categories and STOP-Bang risk categories. A similar pattern of strong significant association (Cramer's V = .269; p = .002) was observed between UCT categories and STOP-Bang risk categories. A weak positive correlation between the STOP-Bang score and the CU-Q2oL average score (τ_b = 0.188, p = .001) was identified. Overall, 72.5% patients reported limitations with respect to sleep in a varied degree according to the CU-Q2oL.

Conclusions

Our results suggest that a considerable proportion of patients with CU are at intermediate to high risk for OSA. Higher disease activity, poor CU control, and worse quality of life were all found to be associated with an increased risk. Additional studies are needed to determine the exact link between these conditions, and to determine whether screening and treatment for OSA might benefit patients with CU.

Sleep disturbance in adult dermatologic patients: A cross-sectional study on prevalence, burden, and associated factors

BACKGROUND

Sleep disturbance remains insufficiently characterized in many dermatoses.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the prevalence, burden, and factors associated with sleep disturbance in dermatologic patients.

METHODS

We recruited 800 patients and recorded pruritus characteristics and sociodemographic and clinical parameters. Validated questionnaires were used to assess sleep disturbance, psychological distress, health-related quality of life, and work productivity.

RESULTS

Two thirds of patients met criteria of poor sleep, which was associated with psychological distress, diminished health-related quality of life, and lost work productivity. Patients with average and maximum pruritus on the visual analog scale exceeding 5 and 6.5 points, respectively, were at high risk of suffering pruritus-related sleep disturbance. Overall pruritus intensity and its nocturnal exacerbation contributed independently to sleep disturbance. Psychological distress was of even higher impact on sleep than pruritus and almost a third of the relationship between pruritus intensity and sleep was mediated by psychological distress.

CONCLUSION

Sleep disturbance is prevalent in dermatologic patients and constitutes a considerable burden.

CLINICAL IMPLICATION

Dermatologic patients with intense pruritus and psychological distress should be examined for sleep disorders. Adequate antipruritic therapy and complementary psychotherapy in affected patients may help them regain restorative sleep.