Background:Sleep disturbances have been reported in various rheumatic diseases especially in the elderly. It may be caused by pain and depressive mood. However, reports on the impact of sleep problems in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) activity and functional status were limited.Objectives:To assess sleep quality in elderly patients with RA and its impact on disease activity and functional status.Methods:This cross-sectional study included 70 RA patients aged ≥ 65 years fulfilling the ACR/EULAR criteria. Sociodemographic data were collected. RA activity was assessed with the Disease Activity Score (DAS28) and functional status with the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). Sleep quality was assessed using Arabic translated versions of two indexes: the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). An ISI score of [8-14], [15-21], and [22-28] determined respectively mild, moderate, and severe insomnia. A PSQI score > 5 determined poor sleep quality. ANOVA test was used to assess the relationship between DAS28 erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), HAQ, and sleep quality indexes.Results:This study included 52 females and 18 males with a mean age of 68.3 ± 25 years [65-81]. Seventy percent of patients were married, 27% were widowed and 2% were divorced. Seventy-one percent of patients were illiterate, 18% had primary education and 11% had secondary education. Eighteen percent of patients were employed whereas 34.7% were retired. A history of depression was noted in 16.5% of patients. The mean duration of RA was 17.4 ± 5.2 years. Eighty-five percent of patients were on conventional synthetic DMARD whereas 15% were treated with biologic treatment. The mean patient’s global assessment of disease activity was 5.2 ± 1.3. The mean tender joint count and mean swollen joint count were 8 ±1.5 and 5 ±1 respectively. The mean DAS28 ESR was 4.7 ±0.9. The mean HAQ was 2.4 ± 0.45. Poor sleep quality was detected in 84% of cases according to the PSQI score. Mild insomnia was detected in 46% of cases, moderate insomnia in 34% of cases, and severe insomnia in 12% of cases. RA activity was higher in patients with poor sleep quality: the mean DAS28 ESR was 5.2 in patients with severe insomnia, 4.82 in moderate insomnia, and 4.13 in mild insomnia; p= 0.00 respectively. The mean ESR was 31.5 mm in patients with severe insomnia, 22.1 mm in moderate insomnia, and 10.6 mm in mild insomnia; p= 0.01 respectively. Furthermore, the higher the PSQI was, the higher DAS28 ESR is (p =0.01). However, no association was found between poor sleep quality and joint count, swollen joint count, CRP, and HAQ.Conclusion:Disease activity was a major contributor to poor sleep quality in elderly patients with RA. Functional status however wasn’t associated with insomnia. Physicians should include sleep in the clinical assessment of RA patients to improve their quality of life.Disclosure of Interests:None declared
Bone involvement in sarcoidosis is rare; its estimated prevalence ranges between 3 and 13%. Osseous lesions usually occur in the phalanges of the hands and feet. Involvement of the axial skeleton is more uncommon. Osseous involvement may be asymptomatic. It is often incidentally discovered on imaging modalities. Radiological techniques can reveal sclerotic and/or destructive lesions. We present a case of a 61-year-old woman in whom osseous sarcoidosis of the sacrum was revealed by back pain and sciatica. To our knowledge, only one isolated case of sacral sarcoidosis has been reported in the literature. Sarcoid bone lesions can be present at disease onset without pulmonary involvement. A biopsy is often required in order to eliminate other conditions, especially malignancy. Treatment is not specific and also not needed in a significant number of cases.
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