Sleep and Immunity in Rheumatoid Arthritis : Remicade Substudy
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2011-04-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
More than half of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients complain of sleep disturbance and this
cardinal complaint is associated with fatigue, pain, and depressed mood in patient with
chronic inflammatory disorder. Despite the frequency of this complaint, there is limited
efforts to evaluate sleep or the abnormal increases in the expression of pro-inflammatory
cytokines play a key role in the progression of RA, we hypothesize that the cytokine network
is one physiological system that is associated with sleep disturbances in RA patients.
Pro-inflammatory cytokines signal the central nervous system and are associated with
increased symptoms of pain, fatigue, and depressed mood in rheumatic patients. The specific
aims of the study are to examine the contribution of cytokines on sleep by administering a
TNF antagonist vs. placebo to probe the action of pro-inflammatory cytokines on sleep in RA
Patients. Examination of sleep and its consequences for pro-inflammatory cytokine activity
within the framework of an observational and experimental research design will have
implications for understanding the psycho-biological mechanisms that link sleep and the
clinical manifestations of RA. Results from this study will guide the developments of
interventions that target disordered sleep with potential effects on disability in RA.