Many people with gout experience sleep disorders says new survey

Nearly a quarter of people with gout describe having frequent sleep disorders as well as daytime sleepiness, a team explains in Arthritis Research and Therapy.

Until now there has been limited information about sleep disorders in gout. Data from a recent online survey filled in by 320 people with gout (average age 57 years, 72% male) highlights that:

• 23% reported doctor-diagnosed sleep disorders;
• Respondents had an average of 6.7 hours of sleep a night;
• 86% reported snoring;
• 45% reported having snorted, gasped or stopped breathing while asleep;
• Two-thirds of the respondents said they felt sleepy during the day, at least three to four times a month or more.

“Screening of gout patients for sleep disorders, proactively, may help diagnose sleep disorders,” Dr Jasvinder Singh, who led the work, told Healio Rheumatology. “An early diagnosis and appropriate treatment for sleep disorder in people with gout can likely improve their quality of life.”

Click here to read the original research.

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