( MENAFN - The Conversation) Nightmares are unpleasant, but perfectly normal – for most. However, my colleagues and I have recently discovered that they can also presage autoimmune diseases, such as lupus. Our study, published in The Lancet's eClinicalMedicine journal , explored possible early warning signs of autoimmune disease flare-ups.
We surveyed 676 patients with lupus and 400 doctors and carried out over 100 in-depth interviews. We asked about the neurological and mental health symptoms patients experience, and when they happened in relation to when their disease first started. This included symptoms such as low mood, hallucinations, tremors and fatigue.
We also asked if there was a usual pattern of symptoms for patients as they were about to get a flare-up (worsening symptoms). Many patients could describe symptoms that happened just before their flares. Although patterns varied between different people, they were often similar in each person's flare-ups.
Patients often knew which symptoms were a sign that their disease was about to get worse. Nightmares coming before autoimmune diseases have been found in other neurological diseases . Descriptions of flare-related nightmares in our study often involved being attacked, trapped, crushed or falling.
Many were very distressing. One person described them as:“Horrific, like murders, like skin coming off people, horrific.” Another important finding was that these nightmares often came before a disease flare-up, partic.
