Understanding Experiences of Fibromyalgia Patients Involved in the Fimouv Study During COVID-19 Lockdown

Abstract

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic implied a period of lockdown for the general population, increasing the risk to develop some physical or mental disorders. In fibromyalgia patients, these disorders are part of the large clinical picture of the syndrome. Fibromyalgia management is especially based on a regular practice of physical activity. Lockdown imposed a break in rhythms, requiring a restructuring of scheduling. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the experiences of fibromyalgia patients during COVID-19 lockdown using a qualitative analysis.Method: 19 patients (52 ± 9 years old) who completed a 3-month therapeutic education and/or supervised physical activity program were invited to participate (Fimouv study, Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04107948). A sociologist collected data by means of semi-structured interviews and analyzed them using thematic content analysis.Results: Lockdown exacerbated the main symptoms of fibromyalgia, but adjusting the rhythms of life to fluctuations of these symptoms allowed a better quality of life. Patients felt the lack of physical activity and 68% found alternatives to remain physically active. The reduction of social constraints allowed them to better contend with their pathology. Fibromyalgia stopped being a main priority.Conclusion: Lockdown was positively experienced by fibromyalgia patients. They linked the absence of physical activity with increased pain and fatigue. Nevertheless, reducing social constraints could be a key for fibromyalgia management, where symptoms seemed to take less space in everyday life.Clinical Trial Registration:www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT04107948.

A better but persistently low health status in women with fibromyalgia during the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional data analysis

“…Although during the pandemic the severity of fibromyalgia was also observed to worsen in a considerable part of the participants [ 7 , 10 – 12 ], from a theoretical point of view it is unexpected that, on a group level, there was no mean change or even a positive change. This suggests that the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with fibromyalgia is weaker than assumed.…”

“…In one study, people with fibromyalgia during the pandemic thought that their improvement was caused by beneficial effects of smart working and the opportunity to exercise more regularly [ 10 ]. In another study, some interviewed people with fibromyalgia reported that reduced social constraints allowed them to adjust the rhythms of their life to fluctuations of symptoms and that fibromyalgia stopped being a main priority in their lives [ 7 ]. These authors concluded that reducing social constraints could be a key for fibromyalgia management, where symptoms seemed to take less space in everyday life.…”

“…However, this expectation that the COVID-19 pandemic might lead to lower health in people with fibromyalgia, is not consistently confirmed by research. In a qualitative study, next to exacerbation of pain and fatigue, patients also reported better quality of life [ 7 ]. In longitudinal studies [ 8 – 11 ] with assessments before and during the pandemic or comparing a sample during the pandemic with a historic pre-pandemic sample [ 12 ], self-reported health of patients with fibromyalgia did not differ before, during or after the lockdown [ 8 , 10 , 11 ].…”

The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on mental and physical wellbeing in women with fibromyalgia: a longitudinal mixed-methods study

“…Our results also noted suboptimal access to health care for the majority of FM patients, and a relatively low utilization of and dissatisfaction related to telehealth. Given that catastrophizing is associated with FM pain and symptom severity (33), it is not surprising that levels of catastrophizing also increased during the pandemic. In fact, our results show that this increase in pain catastrophizing had the strongest association with a worsened perceived ability to cope with pain and a poorer mental health during the pandemic compared to other clinical measures such as changes in pain intensity or FM impact.…”

Psychological Consequences of Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic in Fibromyalgia Patients: A Systematic Review Study

“…These patients had poor quality of life, social relationships, and quality of sleep, which caused a recurrence of the disease and increased anxiety and depression in them (22). In this regard, Colas et al (29) examined the experiences of fibromyalgia patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their results showed that the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the disease in people with fibromyalgia.…”