Quantifying pain threshold and quality of life of fibromyalgia patients

Abstract

The most typical symptom of fibromyalgia (FM) is diffuse pain, and pain at specific points-tender points-is crucial for its diagnosis. By comparing healthy individuals and FM patients, this study was aimed at assessing pain and quality of life of Brazilian females with FM, while seeking for a correlation between pain threshold and quality of life. A total of 178 women were evaluated: 124 were FM patients and 54 were healthy women. Pain threshold at tender points was quantified by dolorimetry, and diffuse pain by means of the visual analogue scale (VAS); the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) was used to evaluate quality of life. Statistical treatment of the data allowed for proposing two indexes: a pain threshold index (PT) and a quality of life one (QOL). PT is the lowest value among all pain thresholds measured at the 18 tender points; QOL is the mean of responses to the FIQ and VAS. Both indexes were tested and showed significant differences between the test and control groups. By pairing pain threshold values of each tender point in the test and control groups, it was found that the most sensitive points matched between the two groups, that is, the most sensitive anatomic spots in a healthy individual are also likely to be the most sensitive points in a person with FM. This suggests that a stimulus that provokes slight discomfort to a healthy person may produce more pain in FM patients--which may bear implications for FM clinical treatment. In this sample of Brazilian women, FM patients had both lower pain threshold and worse quality of life than healthy women.

Relationship between Thyroid Autoimmunity and Depression, Quality of Life, and Disease Symptoms in Patients with Fibromyalgia and Rheumatoid Arthritis

“…Widespread and chronic pain, which is the major symptom of FM, can become so intense that it may severely affect one's work life, daily activities, and quality of life (22,23). FIQ is a questionnaire form used to evaluate quality of life, functional capacity, work status, psychological disorders, and physical symptoms in FM patients (23).…”

“…FIQ is a questionnaire form used to evaluate quality of life, functional capacity, work status, psychological disorders, and physical symptoms in FM patients (23). In a quality of life study comparing patients with RA and FM, and controls using FIQ and SF-36, it was found that RA and FM patients had a poorer quality of life compared to controls, and mental health was found to be worse in FM patients compared to RA patients (24).…”

The Relationship between Vitamin D and Quality of Life in Patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome

“…FMS, which is a chronic rheumatismal disease does not cause injury or deformations to the joints, but by leading to significant difficulties in functional capacity and the undertaking of daily activities, family relationships and social performance are negatively affected [52]. The main symptom of FMS is widespread and chronic pain [53]. This pain in FMS has a negative effect on the patient's quality of life and functional capacity.…”

“…Several studies have reported that the FIQ scores of quality of life in FMS patients have been found to be significantly low compared to the control group [52][53][54]. In a study by Sivas et al, of life was found to be lower in the FMS group [55].…”

Symptoms in different severity degrees of bruxism: a cross-sectional study

“…Pain threshold of trigger points of most tender were reported by participants upon digital pressure stimulation by a trained single examiner, marked with demographic pencil and considered positive when values were lower than 2.6 kg/cm 2 according to Marques et al 22 . Pain threshold reflects the lowest intensity of pressure at which an individual perceives pain 22 . Severity of symptoms: teeth clenching, sleeping difficulty and primary tension type headache were assessed using Visual Analogical Scales (VAS) at the time of the assessment.…”