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Sleep quality in men with androgenetic alopecia

  • Epidemiology • Original Article
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose

Sleep disturbances affect human health and contribute to several comorbidities. In men, androgenetic alopecia (AGA) is a common, non-scarring form of hair loss that affects a patient’s self-esteem. There are limited data regarding the association between poor sleep quality and male AGA. We aimed to compare the prevalence of sleep abnormalities between male patients with AGA and controls to identify an association between the two conditions.

Methods

A case–control study on patients with AGA and age-matched controls was conducted. Participants completed a standardized questionnaire that contained self-evaluated sleep measures, including Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and STOP-BANG questionnaire. Patients with AGA were classified into mild, moderate, and severe subgroups according to the Hamilton-Norwood classification for stratified analyses. Data between groups and among subgroups were compared.

Results

Of 446 male participants, 223 (50%) were in the AGA group, and the remainder (50%) were in the control group. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that hypertension (odds ratio [OR] = 1.90, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.16–3.11, p = 0.011) and STOP-BANG score ≥ 5 (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.15–3.66, p = 0.015) were associated with AGA. For subgroup analyses, ordinal logistic regression model showed a significant association between severe AGA and three sleep profiles, namely total sleep time ≤ 6 h (OR = 2.16, 95%CI = 1.02–4.57, p = 0.044), PSQI > 5 (OR = 3.72, 95%CI = 1.42–9.72, p = 0.008), and STOP-BANG score ≥ 5 (OR = 3.01, 95%CI = 1.11–8.13, p = 0.030).

Conclusion

Our findings revealed an association between sleep disturbances and AGA, which may help guide appropriate management in these patients.

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Data sharing statement

All datasets are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sleep Disorder Center, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

    Somprasong Liamsombut & Visasiri Tantrakul

  2. Division of Dermatology, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, 270 Rama VI Road, Ratchathewi, 10400, Bangkok, Thailand

    Cherrin Pomsoong, Chaninan Kositkuljorn, Kanchana Leerunyakul & Poonkiat Suchonwanit

Authors
  1. Somprasong Liamsombut
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  2. Cherrin Pomsoong
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  3. Chaninan Kositkuljorn
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  4. Kanchana Leerunyakul
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  5. Visasiri Tantrakul
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  6. Poonkiat Suchonwanit
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Poonkiat Suchonwanit.

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Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was approved by the Mahidol University Institutional Review Board for Ethics in Human Research (MURA2020/119) and was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and in compliance with the International Conference on Harmonization-Good Clinical Practice and local regulatory requirements. Informed consent was obtained from the study participants before the survey.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Liamsombut, S., Pomsoong, C., Kositkuljorn, C. et al. Sleep quality in men with androgenetic alopecia. Sleep Breath 27, 371–378 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-022-02618-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-022-02618-x

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