Disability and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia.

[News Desk]

Verbunt JA, Pernot DH, Smeets RJ.


ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND: Patients with fibromyalgia often feel disabled in the
performance of daily activities. Psychological factors seem to play a
pronounced disabling role in fibromyalgia. The objectives of the study
are: Firstly, to investigate contributing factors for disability in
fibromyalgia. Secondly, to study psychological distress in patients
with fibromyalgia as compared to other nonspecific pain syndromes. And
finally, to explore the impact of fibromyalgia on a patient's quality
of life.

METHODS: In this cross sectional study, explaining factors for
disability were studied based on a regression analysis with gender,
mental health, physical and social functioning as independent
variables. For the assessment of disability in fibromyalgia the FIQ
was used. The levels of psychological distress in patients with
fibromyalgia, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) and chronic low
back pain (CLBP) were compared based on scores on the Symptom
Checklist (SCL90). Quality of life of patients with fibromyalgia was
compared with scores (SF36) of both patients with fibromyalgia and
other health conditions as derived from the literature. RESULTS:
Disability in fibromyalgia seemed best explained by a patients mental
health condition (beta=-0.360 p=0.02). The level of psychological
distress was higher in patients with fibromyalgia as compared to
patients with CRPS or CLBP (p<0.01). The impact of fibromyalgia on
quality of life appeared to be high as compared to the impact of other
health conditions.

CONCLUSIONS: Patients with fibromyalgia report a considerable impact
on their quality of life and their perceived disability level seems
influenced by their mental health condition. In comparison with
patients with other pain conditions psychological distress is higher.

PMID: 18211701 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

1: Health Qual Life Outcomes. 2008 Jan 22;6(1):8 [Epub ahead of print]

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