A recent study conducted by Melanie Sloan, a public health researcher at the University of Cambridge, discovered that one of the most prevalent and early indicators of a lupus flare-up is terrible nightmares.
Roughly one-third of 676 lupus patients, or those with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), responded to an online poll stating that their dreams had been disturbed in the year prior to the onset of other symptoms.
The results corroborate anecdotal evidence that suggests a connection between the immune system of the brain and dreams.
SLE is a chronic autoimmune illness that has no known etiology and typically first manifests in people between the ages of 15 and 45. It causes sporadic flare-ups of aching joints, fever, chest pain, exhaustion, or hair loss every few years or so.
Neuropsychiatric symptoms do not always occur in SLE patients during these flare-ups. However, diagnosis and therapy can be difficult for the about 40 percent of patients who do, as symptoms such as hallucinations and nightmares are subjective, and many patients are reluctant to talk about them.
Emotionally charged, vivid dreams are common in people with brain autoimmune illnesses, but these cognitive symptoms have a tendency to go unnoticed.
However, recent research indicates that many people who eventually acquire Parkinson’s disease—which is associated with autoimmune problems—experience troubling dreams for up to ten years prior to receiving a diagnosis.
Additionally, nightmares may be indicative of dementia, which is immune system-related once more. Additionally, some MS patients claim that unpleasant dreams precede a flare-up. For certain lupus sufferers, the same now seems to be true.
Researchers personally interviewed 69 individuals with systemic autoimmune rheumatic illness, which includes lupus, in addition to administering the online survey. Given how intensely emotional these experiences may be, the researchers asked about “daymares” to teasingly bring up hallucinations. Some patients understood right once what they meant.
According to the online survey, more than 60 percent of participants reported having more disruptive nighttime dreams just before having these nightmares.
The group also polled medical professionals regarding their knowledge of lupus. While just one rheumatologist had thought that dreams might be connected to lupus flares, most specialists were willing to ask patients about their nightmares to potentially identify and treat flares sooner. The research article appeared in eClinicalMedicine.