Fibromyalgia and Depression in Women: An 1H-NMR Metabolomic Study

Abstract

Fibromyalgia is a chronic and systemic syndrome characterized by muscle, bone, and joint pain. It is a gender-specific condition with a 9:1 incidence ratio between women and men. Fibromyalgia is frequently associated with psychic disorders affecting the cognitive and emotional spheres. In the reported work, we compared 31 female fibromyalgia patients to 31 female healthy controls. They were analyzed for biochemical clinical parameters, for autoimmune markers, and were subjected to 1H-NMR metabolomics analysis. To identify a correlation between the metabolomic profile and the psychic condition, a subset of 19 fibromyalgia patients was subjected to HAM-A and HAM-D Hamilton depression tests. Multivariate statistical analysis showed the dysmetabolism of several metabolites involved in energy balance that are associated with systemic inflammatory conditions. The severity of depression worsens dysmetabolic conditions; conversely, glycine and glutamate, known for their critical role as neuromodulators, appear to be potential biomarkers of fibromyalgia and are associated with different severity depression conditions.

Salivary metabolome indicates a shift in tyrosine metabolism in patients with burning mouth syndrome: a prospective case–control study

“…6,47 Significant metabolite combinations allowed prediction of disease susceptibility, 86 monitoring of disease course, 28 or response to treatment. 82 Moreover, metabolomics analysis have previously shown variations of metabolites in various biological fluids in patients with chronic painful disorders such as fibromyalgia, 15,26,36,59,61 musculoskeletal pain, 53,67,88,99 complex regional pain syndrome, 2,65 vestibulodynia, 49 and in orofacial pain such as temporomandibular disorder in women.…”

Gut microbiota promotes pain in fibromyalgia

“…Together, our findings highlight the complex and multifactorial effects of fibromyalgia microbiota across several systems in mice. Similarly, humans with fibromyalgia exhibit a wide range of phenotypes, including the sensitization of the peripheral and central nervous systems 20,21 , immune dysregulation [22][23][24] , and metabolomic alterations 3,[25][26][27][28][29] . Notably, individuals with fibromyalgia often experience functional gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and functional dyspepsia 30,31 .…”

Skin Bioimpedance Analysis to Determine Cellular Integrity by Phase Angle in Women with Fibromyalgia: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…This investigation was exclusively carried out with women, due to the significantly higher prevalence of fibromyalgia among women compared to men. Research has consistently shown that the majority of individuals seeking medical care for fibromyalgia are women [33][34][35], reporting a ratio of approximately 9:1 between women and men.…”