Abstract

 

Objective: Seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) is one of the most common allergic diseases in childhood and is characterized by nasal congestion, rhinorrhea, sneezing, and itching. Beyond these classical nasal symptoms, SAR may also be associated with sleep disturbances. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of sleep disturbances in children with SAR and to evaluate potential clinical predictors, including symptom severity, symptom timing, and comorbid allergic diseases.

Material and Methods: Children aged 6–16 years with seasonal allergic rhinitis (SAR) who were followed at the Pediatric Allergy and Immunology Department of Ankara City Hospital  were enrolled in the study. An age- and demographically matched control group was also recruited. Sleep disturbances were assessed using the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC). SAR severity was classified according to the Allergic Rhinitis and Its Impact on Asthma (ARIA) guidelines, and symptom intensity was further evaluated using a visual analog scale (VAS). Logistic regression analysis was performed to identify independent predictors of SDSC-defined sleep disturbances.

Results: A total of 115 children with SAR (mean age: 11.6±3.2 years; 61.7% male) and 115 healthy controls were included. According to SDSC, 43.3% of children with SAR had clinically significant sleep disturbances. Compared with controls, children with SAR had significantly higher SDSC total scores (63.4±15.5 vs. 53.9±12.2; p < 0.001) and higher scores across all subscales. In multivariate logistic regression, an elevated nasal VAS score remained an independent predictor of sleep disturbances (OR: 1.86; 95% CI: 1.06-2.41; p=0.020).

Conclusion: Sleep disturbances were more prevalent in children with SAR than in healthy controls, and greater nasal symptom severity was independently associated with impaired sleep quality. Incorporating routine sleep quality assessment into the clinical evaluation of children with SAR may improve disease management and contribute to better overall quality of life.

Keywords: Seasonal allergic rhinitis, sleep disturbances, visual analogue scale

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Copyright © 2026 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to cite

1.
Aytekin Güvenir F, Kaan Kılıç E, Kuzu Kuşaklı A, Kutsal Gültekin TT, Şengül Emeksiz Z, Dibek Mısırlıoğlu E. Prevalence and clinical predictors of sleep disturbances in children with seasonal allergic rhinitis. Turk J Pediatr Dis. 2026;Early View:1-6. https://doi.org/10.12956/TJPD.2025.1268