Nightmares as Early Warning Signs for Autoimmune Diseases: New Study Findings

Nightmares and hallucinations could be early warning signs for autoimmune diseases.
One in three patients with other rheumatology-related conditions also reported this symptom before the onset of their disease.
Three in five patients with lupus reported having disrupted dream sleep prior to hallucinations.
Nightmares as Early Warning Signs for Autoimmune Diseases: New Study Findings

Title: More Evidence Emerges of the Link Between Nightmares and Autoimmune Diseases

Subtitle: A new study suggests that vivid and distressing dreams could be an early warning sign for conditions such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren's syndrome, and systemic sclerosis.

Lead: A recent study published in the journal eClinicalMedicine has found that nightmares and daymares could be an early warning sign for certain autoimmune diseases. The research was conducted by scientists from the University of Cambridge and King's College London, who surveyed 676 people living with lupus, a disease that causes the immune system to attack tissues and organs, as well as interviewing 50 clinicians.

Key Findings: The study found that three in five patients with lupus reported having disrupted dream sleep prior to hallucinations. One in three patients with other rheumatology-related conditions also reported this symptom before the onset of their disease. Patients often described their dreams as vivid and distressing, involving being attacked, trapped, crushed or falling.

Implications: The researchers believe that recognizing nightmares and hallucinations as early warning signs for autoimmune diseases could help doctors detect these conditions earlier and provide better treatment options for patients. They also encourage clinicians to ask about sleep disturbances when assessing their patients, as misdiagnosis has occurred in the past when patients were mistakenly diagnosed with a psychotic episode.

Background: Autoimmune diseases are a group of disorders that occur when the immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues in the body. Lupus is one of the most common autoimmune diseases, affecting about 50,000 people in Britain and causing inflammation in joints and organs, including the brain. Symptoms can include joint pain, extreme tiredness, rashes that come on after being in the sun, and hallucinations or daymares.

Conclusion: The study provides important evidence for the link between nightmares and autoimmune diseases. It highlights the need for greater awareness of this association among both patients and healthcare professionals. By recognizing nightmares as an early warning sign, doctors can potentially diagnose these conditions earlier, leading to better outcomes for patients.


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Confidence

91%

Doubts
  • Are there any other potential causes for nightmares and hallucinations besides autoimmune diseases?
  • Could the study be biased towards patients who were already diagnosed with autoimmune diseases?

Sources

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Horrific nightmares may signal initial onset of these chronic diseases, study says

CNN News Site: In-Depth Reporting and Analysis with Some Financial Conflicts and Sensational Language Sandee LaMotte Tuesday, 21 May 2024 12:52
  • Unique Points
    • A new study published in the journal eClinicalMedicine suggests that nightmares and daymares may be little-known signs of the onset of lupus and other systemic autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, Sjogren’s syndrome, and systemic sclerosis.
    • Three in five lupus patients, and 1 in 3 patients with other rheumatology-related diseases, had increasingly vivid and distressing nightmares just before their hallucinations.
    • Nightmares often involved falling or being attacked, trapped, or crushed or committing murder.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

98%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

“I feel like I’m Alice in Wonderland”: nightmares and ‘daymares’ could be early warning signs of autoimmune disease

University of Cambridge Tuesday, 21 May 2024 17:57
  • Unique Points
    • Study published today in eClinicalMedicine surveyed 676 people living with lupus and 400 clinicians.
    • Three in five patients reported disrupted dream sleep, a third of whom reported this symptom appearing over a year before onset of lupus disease.
    • Patients often know which symptoms are a bad sign that their disease is about to flare, but both patients and doctors can be reluctant to discuss mental health and neurological symptoms.
    • Some patients had initially been misdiagnosed or hospitalised with a psychotic episode and/or suicidal ideation, which was only later found to be the first sign of their autoimmune disease.
  • Accuracy
    • Three in five lupus patients and one in three with other rheumatology-related conditions reported increasingly disrupted dreaming sleep before their hallucinations.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    The article contains an appeal to authority with the quotes from Dr Melanie Sloan and Professor David D'Cruz. They suggest that clinicians should ask about nightmares and other neuropsychiatric symptoms to help detect disease flares earlier. This implies that their expertise lends credence to the importance of recognizing these symptoms.
    • ]It's important that clinicians talk to their patients about these types of symptoms and spend time writing down each patient's individual progression of symptoms. Patients often know which symptoms are a bad sign that their disease is about to flare, but both patients and doctors can be reluctant to discuss mental health and neurological symptoms, particularly if they don't realise that these can be a part of autoimmune diseases.[
    • For many years, I have discussed nightmares with my lupus patients and thought that there was a link with their disease activity. This research provides evidence of this,
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Vivid nightmares could be early warning sign of lupus, Cambridge University warns

The Daily Telegraph Sarah Knapton, Monday, 20 May 2024 00:00
  • Unique Points
    • Vivid and disturbing dreams may serve as an early warning sign of lupus, according to scientists from Cambridge University.
    • Three out of five lupus patients reported increasingly disrupted dreaming sleep–typically vivid and distressing nightmares–prior to hallucinating.
    • Professor David D’Cruz encourages doctors to ask about nightmares and other neuropsychiatric symptoms in order to detect disease flares earlier.
    • Misdiagnosis has occurred in the past when patients with lupus symptoms were mistakenly diagnosed with a psychotic episode.
  • Accuracy
    • Nightmares often involved falling or being attacked, trapped, or crushed or committing murder.
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

100%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

More nightmares could be an early sign autoimmune diseases, researchers say

Sky News Limited Tuesday, 21 May 2024 18:02
  • Unique Points
    • An increase in nightmares could be an early sign of some autoimmune diseases, according to new research.
    • Three in five lupus patients and one in three with other rheumatology-related conditions reported having more nightmares just before hallucinations began.
    • Patients often described their dreams as ‘vivid and distressing’, involving being attacked, trapped, crushed or falling.
    • One patient described their nightmares as ‘horrific, like murders, like skin coming off people’.
    • Some interviewees with lupus were misdiagnosed with mental health problems.
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication

99%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Increase in nightmares could be early warning sign of serious disease, doctors warned

The Independent Storm Newton Monday, 20 May 2024 22:32
  • Unique Points
    • Study suggests increase in nightmares could be early warning sign for certain diseases
    • Three in five patients with lupus and one in three with other rheumatology-related conditions had a spike in vivid, distressing nightmares before having hallucinations
    • Patients often know which symptoms are a bad sign that their disease is about to flare but may be reluctant to discuss mental health and neurological symptoms with doctors
    • Some interviewees with lupus were misdiagnosed with mental health problems due to lack of screening for lupus
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Fallacies (95%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication