Damage to Sleep Quality: An Obstacle to Quality of Life in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis - Preliminary Results

Abstract

BACKGROUND Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) corresponds to a broad spectrum of rheumatologic diseases, which has in common the chronic arthritis of one or more joints, started before the age of 16, of unknown etiology and which can not be attributed to other causes. Chronic diseases, especially those with pain, such as JIA, have a well-established relationship with sleep-related disorders (DRS) and impairment of quality of life (QoL). This study aims to describe sleep quality and QoL of this population and to verify possible associations between them. MATERIALS AND METHODS This is an observational, cross-sectional, analytical study with data obtained through the application of a sociodemographic questionnaire and validated quality of life and quality of sleep instruments for the pediatric population. The study participants were patients aged between 3 and 18 years with JIA, who were followed up at the referral service in pediatric rheumatology at the HUPES complex of the Federal University of Bahia, in Salvador-Bahia.