Objective. The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1990 fibromyalgia classification criteria are based on the presence of widespread pain and tenderness. In 2010, new criteria were proposed that focused more on multiple symptoms, and these criteria were later modified to require only self report of symptoms. The current study aimed to determine the population prevalence of fibromyalgia and to compare differences in prevalence using the alternative criteria. Fibromyalgia is one of the most common reasons for referring a patient to a rheumatologist (1), and while there are a number of estimates of the occurrence of fibromyalgia in rheumatology clinic populations, there are few studies of its prevalence in the general population. Data from a national health interview survey in Denmark estimated the prevalence to be Ͻ1% (2). Other investigators have reported a prevalence of 2.4% in Spain (3); and in North America, estimates vary from 2.0% to 3.3% (4,5). Fibromyalgia prevalence increases with age, reaching a peak around the seventh decade of life, and at every age it is more common in women than in men (4).

clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: ISRCTN67013851.

The aim of the current study was to determine: the prevalence of low back pain (LBP) and associated disability; the frequency of consultation to general practice; whether there were differences in management by age. We conducted a cross-sectional population study in Aberdeen city and Cheshire County, UK. Participants were 15,272 persons aged 25 years and older. The 1-month period prevalence of LBP was 28.5%. It peaked at age 41-50 years, but at ages over 80 years was reported by 1 in 4 persons. Older persons were more likely to consult, and the prevalence of severe LBP continued to increase with age. Management by general practitioners differed by age of the patient. Older persons (> 70 vs ≤ 40 years) were more likely to only have been prescribed painkillers (odds ratio [OR] 1.74, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.28-2.35) or only pain killers with other medications (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.07-1.98). They were less likely to be prescribed physiotherapy or exercise (OR 0.63, 95% CI 0.46-0.85) or to be referred to a specialist (OR 0.77, 95% CI 0.57-1.04). Older persons were more likely to have previously received exercise therapy for pain, were less likely to be enthusiastic about receiving it now (P<0.0001), and were less likely to think it would result in improved symptoms (P<0.0001). It is important that older persons, who have the highest prevalence of LBP with disability and are most likely to consult, are receiving optimal pharmacological and nonpharmacological management.

Objective. To determine the population prevalence of joint hypermobility (JH) and to test the hypothesis that JH would be associated with reporting musculoskeletal pain. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional population survey in Aberdeen and Cheshire. A total of 45,949 questionnaires were mailed that assessed JH and the presence, distribution, duration, and severity of musculoskeletal pain. Based on their pain reports, participants were classified as having chronic widespread pain (CWP), some pain, or no pain. Multinominal logistic regression tested the relationship between JH and pain status. Associations were adjusted for age, sex, and other putative confounders. Participants with no pain were the referent category. Results. A total of 12,853 participants (28.0%) returned a questionnaire with complete data; 2,354 participants (18.3%) were classified as hypermobile. A total of 2,094 participants (16.3%) had CWP, 5,801 participants (45.1%) had some pain, and 4,958 participants (38.6%) reported no pain. JH participants were significantly more likely to report CWP than non-JH participants (18.5% versus 15.8%; P < 0.001). After adjusting for age and sex, hypermobile participants were 40% more likely to report the most severe CWP (relative risk ratio [RRR] 1.4, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.1-1.7; P < 0.00). After further adjustments for employment status, smoking, alcohol, and physical activity, JH remained significantly associated with the most severe CWP (RRR 1.6, 95% CI 1.3-2.1; P < 0.000) and some pain (RRR 1.3, 95% CI 1.02-1.6; P ‫؍‬ 0.03). Conclusion. JH was associated with severe pain; however, this relationship was not specific to CWP. The relationship was relatively modest and may be explained by unmeasured confounding factors such as psychological distress.

UK Biobank has provided estimates of the prevalence of pain which are similar to those from previous large-scale studies, although a formal comparison of the estimates cannot be made. It has also confirmed known associations with the reporting of pain. Despite its very low participation rate, such a study provides the opportunity to investigate novel exposure-pain relationships and investigate rarer exposures and characteristics to further our knowledge of the epidemiology of pain.