Abstract
Introduction. Sleep disturbances in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis remain an insufficiently studied issue. The Child and Adolescent Sleep Checklist (CASC) is a tool used to assess sleep in children; however, evidence regarding its use in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis remains limited. Clarifying the relationship between disease activity, other clinical parameters, and CASC scores may contribute to a more personalized approach to the management of these patients. The aim of this study is to assess sleep quality in children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in the Komi Republic and to examine the associations between disease activity, demographic characteristics, and the total CASC score.
Materials and methods. The study compared the total CASC score between children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and their healthy peers. In patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis, the effects of disease activity as measured by the JADAS-10, sex, age, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate on the total CASC score were also analysed.
Results. The proportion of children with a total CASC score above 18 was significantly higher in the juvenile idiopathic arthritis group. A significant association was identified between the JADAS-10 index and the total CASC score: each one-point increase in JADAS-10 was associated with a 0.72-point increase in the total CASC score (p 0.05). This finding indicates that sleep quality deteriorates as disease activity increases. Among the factors examined, JADAS showed the most consistent association with sleep quality.
Discussion and conclusion. Children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis in the Komi Republic demonstrate poorer sleep quality, as indicated by CASC scores above 18, compared with their healthy peers. Disease activity is a significant factor affecting sleep-related outcomes. These findings highlight the need for regular monitoring of sleep quality in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis and may support the inclusion of sleep-focused interventions as part of comprehensive treatment.