Effect of the first infliximab infusion on sleep and alertness in patients with active rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the benefit of the first infliximab infusion on sleep disturbances in patients with RA Material and methods: Evaluation of RA activity, sleepiness (Epworth scale and multiple sleep latency test), alertness (steer clear test), and sleep structure (polysomnography) were conducted before and after the first infusion of infliximab in six female patients with RA.


RESULTS
The day after the first infliximab infusion, the mean (SD) number of tender (20 (2.4)) or swollen (15.3 (2)) joints and the morning stiffness (140 (61.9) min) had not changed. There were significant improvements in the median number of total sleep stage transitions per hour (median (IR) before v after infusion: 20.5 (43) v 7.5 (6); Wilcoxon paired test, p = 0.014), median percentage of phase I+II (83.5 (8) v 54.5 (24); p = 0.023), percentage of REM stages (2 (10) v 11.5 (8); p = 0.014), median percentage sleep efficiency (44 (22) v 75 (18); p = 0.014), median sleep latency (77.5 (150) v 25.5 (23) min; p = 0.023), and median number of hits in the steer clear test (48.5 (86) v 6 (45); p = 0.023). Neither objective nor subjective daytime sleepiness was noted. One obese patient had obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome.


CONCLUSIONS
Sleep and the alertness disturbances in RA improve with infliximab treatment. Improvement appears unrelated to joint discomfort amelioration but suggests a central effect through inhibition of circulating TNFalpha levels.
Zamarrón
C
C
The Sleep Unit of the Respiratory Service, Hospital Clinico Universitario and Medical School, Universidad de Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
Maceiras
F
F
Mera
A
A
Gómez-Reino
J J
JJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001143:Arousal / Q000187:drug effects; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D000069285:Infliximab; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D017286:Polysomnography; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018501:Antirheumatic Agents; D000069285:Infliximab