Increased frequency of sleep problems in children and adolescents with familial Mediterranean fever: The role of anxiety and depression

Abstract

Aim Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is the most common hereditary autoinflammatory disease. The main goal of our study is to compare sleep habits, depression and anxiety of patients with FMF to healthy children and to determine the influence of disease-related factors on sleep habits and psychiatric symptoms. Method In total, 323 child and adolescent patients with FMF and 260 healthy peers as a control group were included in this study. Questionnaires were used to evaluate sleep habits, psychological status of children and adolescents with and without FMF. Results While there was not a significant difference in terms of age, gender, depression and anxiety scores (P > 0.05); patients with FMF had significantly higher total sleeping score (45.69 +/- 7.70 vs 43.31 +/- 7.77;P = 0.001). Depression and anxiety scores of patients with FMF who have been experiencing sleep problems were found to be dramatically higher compared to those FMF patients without sleep problems (7.70 +/- 5.56 vs 4.59 +/- 3.97;P = 0.001; 35.46 +/- 18.57 vs 25.22 +/- 14.12;P = 0.001; respectively). Patients with FMF who had a disease attack last month had remarkably higher depression, anxiety and sleeping scores compared to those who did not. When FMF patients were compared in terms of exertional leg pain, increased acute phase reactant levels, comorbidity and mutation types, there was not a significant difference for depression, anxiety and sleeping scores. Conclusion Children and adolescents with FMF experience more sleeping problems compared to healthy children and in presence of sleeping disorders, psychiatric symptoms are seen more frequently. Therefore, evaluation of psychopathology is important if youth with FMF have sleep problems.