Evaluation of sleep quality in children with allergic rhinitis

Aims: Sleep disturbance in allergic rhinitis patients ranges from mild disturbance to sleep apnea. Sleep disturbance in children can lead to problems such as excessive daytime sleepiness, irritability, decreased immune system and memory problems. In our study, we aimed to reveal the factors affecting sleep quality by applying the level-2 dsm 5 sleep scale to the parents of children aged 6-17 years diagnosed with allergic rhinitis. Methods: Between August 1, 2023 and April 30, 2024, 79 children between the ages of 6 and 17 who were diagnosed with allergic rhinitis and whose parents/guardians agreed to participate in the study and 80 children without allergic complaints who applied to the outpatient clinic for any reason were included as the control group. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the case group diagnosed with allergic rhinitis and the control group in terms of gender, age, body-mass index (kg/m2), place of residence, parental employment status, and household income. A statistically significant difference was found between the level-2 6-17 years sleep disorder scale administered by the parents and the level-2 11-17 years scale answered by the case group (p<0.05), while no relationship was found between the level-2 11-17 years sleep disorder scale answered by the children and the control group (p>0.05). No statistically significant difference was found between symptom duration, gender, body mass index, seasonal variability, parental employment status, family income, place of residence and sleep disorder scale (p>0.05). Conclusion: Our study revealed that sleep problems were observed more frequently in children with allergic rhinitis in accordance with the literature. When we classified the case group as persistent and intermittent AR, no difference was observed, but a significant difference was found compared to the control group. In the case group with allergic rhinitis, no difference was observed in terms of scale score as symptom duration increased.