WEDNESDAY, Feb. 12, 2025 -- Children with inflammatory skin diseases have an increased risk for sleep and psychological disorders, according to a study published online Feb. 6 in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

Caroline Mann, M.D., from the University Medical Center Mainz in Germany, and colleagues conducted a retrospective data analysis of a U.S. Collaborative Network involving children of 55 health care providers. Data were retrieved from electronic health records of patients with a diagnosis of atopic dermatitis (AD), psoriasis, or urticaria, as well as a propensity score-matched control cohort.

The researchers found that children with psoriasis had a 3.2-, 2.1-, 1.8-, and 1.9-fold higher risk for hypersomnia, sleep apnea, fatigue, and depression, respectively. Children with urticaria and AD had a 1.7-, 1.6-, and 1.4-fold higher risk for sleep disorders, anxiety disorders, and insomnia, respectively. Children with AD had a 1.5-fold increased risk for anxiety disorders.

"Our findings might be of particular interest for physicians to improve patient monitoring and early screening and treatment [to] potentially prevent onset of these comorbidities, thereby positively influencing the development into adulthood of children with inflammatory skin diseases," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical and skin care industries.