Could nightmares be a sign of common autoimmune disorders like lupus?

BOSTON - Terrifying nightmares could be an early sign of common autoimmune disorders such as lupus, according to researchers.

Lupus is a chronic illness where the body's immune system goes into overdrive attacking healthy tissues, including the brain. Patients can experience an array of neuropsychiatric symptoms, and researchers at UC Davis and in the U.K. have found that nightmares and what they call "daymares" or dreamlike hallucinations that occur while awake could signal the onset of autoimmune rheumatic conditions like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.

In the study, patients reported truly horrific and vivid experiences such as being attacked, chased, crushed, or even committing murder. They say these nightmares could serve as a warning that a patient's condition is about to worsen which could allow doctors to intervene before additional organ damage occurs.

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Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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