A rise in the frequency of hallucinations and nightmares could be an early warning sign of autoimmune diseases like lupus, according to a study. Researchers called for doctors to ask about nightmares in the hope it could help detect when symptoms are likely to flare up in patients earlier. The study by University of Cambridge and King’s College London included a survey of 676 people with lupus, a disease which causes the immune system to attack tissues and organs, and 400 clinicians.
It also included detailed interviews with 69 people living with various chronic inflammatory autoimmune disorders, including lupus, and 50 clinicians. Researchers asked patients about the timing of 29 neurological and mental health symptoms, including depression, hallucinations and loss of balance. In interviews, patients were asked to list the order in which symptoms usually occurred.
A little fewer than one in four people reported hallucinations, although the majority said this did not occur until around the onset of the disease or later. However, interviews found 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. Lead author Dr Melanie Sloan, of the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge, said: “It’s important that clinicians talk to their patients about these types of symptoms and spend time writing down each patient’s individual pr.