Pain symptoms in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are linked to poor sleep, fibromyalgia, depression, and sleep apnea, researchers revealed. Researchers of a study noted that while disease activity weakly correlates with sleep difficulties in RA, in PsA, joint counts, enthesitides, C-reactive protein, and erythrocyte sedimentation rate levels significantly correlate with sleep problems. Active disease may contribute to sleep disturbances, but patients with RA with sleep difficulties often report more pain, tender joints, and lower mood compared with those without sleep issues.
Researchers utilized data from the Finnish Rheumatology Quality Register, including 13,512 patients with RA and 3,636 patients with PsA. Among those with sleep data, 84% of patients with RA and 78% of patients with PsA reported good sleep. Poor sleep was independently linked to more intense pain symptoms in both conditions and associated with fibromyalgia, depression, and sleep apnea. Patients with poor sleep reported worse Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire and pain catastrophizing scores. The study emphasizes evaluating sleep and comorbidities like fibromyalgia, sleep apnea, and depression in patients with RA and PsA, especially those with intense symptoms but no active disease signs.
Reference: McNulty R. Pain Linked With Poor Sleep Quality, Comorbidities in RA, PsA. AJMC. Published May 31, 2024. Accessed July 8, 2024. https://www.ajmc.com/view/pain-linked-with-poor-sleep-quality-comorbidities-in-ra-psa
Link: https://www.ajmc.com/view/pain-linked-with-poor-sleep-quality-comorbidities-in-ra-psa
