Study: Chilren With Rheumatoid Arthritis Experience Sleep Abnormalities

Patients suffering from juvenile rheumatoid arthritis often experience sleep abnormalities, according to a study published in the Journal of Rheumatology.

Sleep abnormalities include night wakings, parasomnias (i.e. sleepwalking, night terrors, bed-wetting), sleep anxiety, sleep-disordered breathing, morning wakening and daytime sleepiness.

Researchers studied the sleep characteristics of 25 children with active juvenile rheumatoid arthritis to determine what sleep abnormalities exist in children with the disease and their relationship to pain, dysfunction and disease activity.Forty-five healthy children of the same age and sex were used as a control group.

Disease activity was assessed in the children using global assessments, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the number of swollen and limited joints. Function and pain were also rated.

"We conclude that sleep abnormalities are common in children with juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, and are multi-dimensional," the researchers reported.

Other sources: Journal of Rheumatology