Top Complaint Among Arthritics Isn't Pain

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Top Complaint Among Arthritics Isn't Pain

Study's surprising finding: It's lost sleep

By Adam Marcus

HealthSCOUT Reporter

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 16 (HealthSCOUT) -- When most people think about the woes of

arthritis, pain is the first symptom that comes to mind. But that isn't so

for

those who have the ailment.

Lost sleep is among the biggest complaints of arthritis sufferers and the

leading reason they seek medical care, according to a new study.

" Not only can arthritis disrupt your sleep, but your sleep disruption makes

your pain worse, " says Dr. Joanne Jordan, a joint specialist at the

University

of North Carolina's Thurston Arthritis Research Center and lead author of

the

study, which appears in the Archives of Family Medicine.

The finding is based on a survey of nearly 1,000 arthritis patients over age

65, which asked them about the ways they dealt with their condition and how

it

affected their lives.

One in three patients said discomfort from their arthritis kept them awake

at

night and prevented them from pursuing leisure activities, the researchers

found.

To the scientists' surprise, it was the lost sleep, not other symptoms, that

spurred most to seek medical care.

Two in three seek help to sleep

In pursuit of peaceful shut-eye 66 percent of the sleepless bought

over-the-counter arthritis remedies and 63 percent went to a physician.

Nearly

50 percent took prescription drugs and one in two turned to prayer for help.

A small but substantial percentage also looked to alternative care, copper

bracelets, biofeedback and other nostrums. Going without sleep " drove them

to

desperate means, " Jordan says.

Dr. Klippel, medical director of the Arthritis Foundation, says sleep

loss

is a " very common " problem among arthritis patients, and one with serious

consequences. It contributes to fatigue, poor functioning and fibromyalgia,

a

painful condition that often accompanies various forms of arthritis.

The difficulty for doctors, however, is knowing which patients are most at

risk

for sleep deprivation. Although Klippel's group estimates that at least 43

million American suffer from arthritis, good figures don't exist on how many

of

these need regular treatment for their condition. It's these patients, he

says,

who are likely to have the worst trouble.

What To Do

Fortunately, says Jordan, sleep problems are readily treatable. Many factors

can cause insomnia, from conflicts with medication to too much caffeine.

These

are particularly nettlesome for the elderly, who, because of age-related

changes, already have difficulty sleeping.

The bottom line, says Jordan, is that if you suffer from arthritis and are

having trouble sleeping, tell your doctor right away.

To learn more about arthritis and how to manage it, visit the Arthritis

Foundation. For more on good sleeping habits and how to develop them, try

the

Providence Sleep Disorders Center.