SLEEP PROBLEMS ARE ASSOCIATED WITH HIGHER PAIN INTENSITY IN A LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF PEOPLE WITH HAND OSTEOARTHRITIS: DATA FROM THE NOR-HAND STUDY

Purpose (the aim of the study): Background and study objectives: Sleep problems represent a modifiable but neglected risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA) pain, but studies have shown that sleep problems predict more severe long-term pain intensity in people with lower limb OA. Sleep problems may affect pain through central sensitization. No previous studies have explored the associations between sleep problems and pain, and the role of central sensitization in people with hand OA. Thus, our aim is to examine if sleep problems are associated with the severity of pain outcomes cross-sectionally and longitudinally in people with hand OA, and if central sensitization mediates these relationships.