Introduction The exact pathogenesis of fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome is unclear. However, various infectious have been implicated with the development of FM after their acute phase. We aimed to investigate the incidence of FM syndrome among convalesced individuals following hospitalization for Acute Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19). Methods We performed a cross-sectional study on patients who were discharged after COVID-19 hospitalization from the Sheba Medical Center, Israel, between July 2020 to November 2020. A phone interview was performed consisting of the following questionnaires: the Fibromyalgia Survey Diagnostic Criteria Questionnaire, Sense of Coherence Questionnaire to evaluate resilience, and the Subjective Traumatic Outlook Questionnaire to assess the associated psychological aspects of the trauma. The incidence of post-COVID FM was calculated and regression models were performed to identify predictors. Results The study population consisted of 198 eligible patients who completed the phone interview. The median age was 64 (52–72) and 37% were women. The median follow-up was 5.2 months (IQR 4.4–5.8). The incidence of FM was 15% (30 patients) and 87% (172 patients) had at least one FM-related symptom. Female gender was significantly associated with post-COVID FM (OR 3.65, p = 0.002). In addition, high median Subjective Traumatic Outlook scores and low median Sense of Coherence scores were both significantly associated with post-COVID FM (OR 1.19, p<0.001 and OR 0.92, p<0.001, respectively). Conclusions FM is highly prevalent among COVID-19 convalescent patients. Our finding suggests that a significant subjective traumatic experience and a low resilience are highly associated with post-COVID FM.

ObjectiveSeveral studies have shown a higher prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) among patients with fibromyalgia yet, data regarding association between fibromyalgia and other gastrointestinal disorders have been relatively overlooked. Our aim was to investigate the association between fibromyalgia and gastrointestinal disorders including both benign and malignant conditions. MethodsWe conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study based on the comprehensive electronic database of the largest health maintenance organisation in Israel. All subjects with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia in their medical records and age-and sex-matched controls were included in the study. We investigated the association of fibromyalgia with benign gastrointestinal disorders including IBS, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), peptic ulcer disease (PUD), celiac disease, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, and with gastrointestinal malignancies including colorectal, pancreatic, stomach, liver, and bile duct cancers.

Background Ankylosing spondylitis (AS), which occurs in about 10% of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients, is more common in Crohn's disease and does not correlate with bowel activity. The occurrence of IBD in patients with AS is 5-10%. We aimed to investigate the patterns of treatment modifications following newly diagnosed AS in patients with IBD or a new IBD diagnosis in patients with AS. Methods This is a retrospective observational study that included patients with coexisting IBD and AS that were followed simultaneously by the gastroenterology and the rheumatology departments of the Sheba Medical Center. Patients with a follow-up duration of at least 3 months since the second diagnosis were included. Results The cohort consisted of 68 patients, 41 with a first diagnosis of IBD (fIBD-group) and 27 with a first diagnosis of AS (fAS-group). Patients in the fAS-group were younger (median age of 36 years, inter quartile range (IQR) 25-48 vs. 43 years IQR 35-56, p=0.043), had more Crohn's disease (92.6% vs. 68.3%, p=0.016), had a shorter interval up to the second diagnosis (median of 3 years, IQR 1-6 vs. 6 years, IQR 2-11.5, p=0.03), and had an increased rate of past/current biologic treatment (81% vs. 51%, p=0.019) compared with the fIBD-group. Therapy modifications rates were 78% in the fIBD-group and 96% in the fAS-group as presented in Figure 1. The most common modification for the fIBD-group was initiation of biologic therapy in 18/32 patients (Adalimumab 44%, Infliximab 33%, Golimumab 5.75%, Etanercept 5.75%, Certolizumab pegol 5.75%, Ustekinumab 5.75%). In the fAS-group, switching biologic agent to Adalimumab or Infliximab (42%) and ceasing NSAIDs (27%) were the most common. At 1-year follow-up there were no significant differences in clinical outcomes (treatment failure, surgery/hospitalization, clinical remission) between fIBD and fAS groups. However, patients in both groups with treatment modifications, had a trend for higher rate of IBD clinical remission than patients without (72% vs. 40%, p=0.066). No difference was found in AS clinical outcome. Conclusion Treatment modifications are common among newly coexisting IBD and AS patients, preferably biologic drug modifications. These modifications may contribute to IBD clinical remission.