The impact of the presence of fibromyalgia on fatigue in patients with psoriatic arthritis: comparison with controls

Abstract

Background: Coexisting fibromyalgia (FM) to psoriatic arthritis (PsA) has been identified and it has been associated with more severe symptoms, impaired function, and greater disability. It was aimed to explore the effect of the presence of FM on fatigue in patients with PsA comparing with controls. Methods: Fifty patients with PsA and 34 sex-age matched controls were enrolled. In patients; pain was assessed by Visual Analogue Scale, disease activity by DAS-28, enthesitis by The Leeds Enthesitis Index. Fatigue level of all participants was evaluated by Multidimensional Assessment of Fatigue. In all participants, FM was determined according to 2010 American College of Rheumatology criteria. Results: Seventeen patients with PsA (34%) and 4 controls (11.8%) were diagnosed with FM and all of them were women. There was significant difference between the patients and controls in terms of presence of FM (p < 0.05). Patients' fatigue scores were significantly higher than controls' (p = 0.001). There were significant differences between the PsA patients with and without FM with regard to gender, enthesitis, DAS-28 and pain scores (p < 0.05); fatigue scores (p < 0.001). The significant effect of the presence of FM on fatigue was found by univariate analysis of variance in patients (p < 0.001). Conclusion: It was observed that FM presence and fatigue were more common in PsA patients than controls and comorbid FM had significant effect on fatigue in these patients. Physicians should be aware of the possibility of concomitant FM in patients with PsA.

Fibromyalgia in patients with psoriatic arthritis: Impact on disease activity indices, fatigue and health‐related quality of life

“…These data are consistent with Magrey et al in 2013 27 and Ulus et al in 2020 28 . In the former; 37.5%‐53.3% of PsA patients had concomitant FM using the London FM epidemiologic study screening questionnaire and symptoms intensity scale, 27 while in the latter 34% of PsA patients had concomitant FM according to the 2010 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria for FM 28 …”

“…These data are consistent with Magrey et al in 201327 and Ulus et al in 2020 28. In the former; 37.5%-53.3% of PsA patients had concomitant FM using the London FM epidemiologic study screening questionnaire and symptoms intensity scale,27 while in…”

Evaluation of Clinical Diagnosis of Axial Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) or Elevated Patient-reported Spine Pain in CorEvitas’ PsA/Spondyloarthritis Registry

“…(34,35) Patients with PsA and comorbid fibromyalgia have worse disease activity when assessed using measures with subjective or patient-reported components, including DAPSA, Leeds Enthesitis Index, BASDAI, HAQ, pain, and fatigue scores. (31,36,37) In our study cohort, history of fibromyalgia was significantly associated with a patient's odds of having axial manifestations by either definition, which may support the difficulty in differentiating fibromyalgia from axial symptoms in PsA.…”

Exploring the Relationship between Fibromyalgia-Related Fatigue, Physical Activity, and Quality of Life

“…Fatigue is widely known and understood, as it is a natural response of the body to some type of physical and mental stress, but it can also be a sign of some possible physical and/or mental disorder [17,18]. In healthy individuals, fatigue is a physiological reaction to a prolonged activity, from which the body tends to recover easily with rest, and which usually does not end up interfering with daily activities.…”