Abstract
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a prevalent and disabling chronic pain disorder. Past
research suggests that obesity is a common comorbidity and may be related to the severity
of FMS. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the relationships
between FMS and obesity in the multiple FMS-related domains: hyperalgesia, symptoms,
physical abilities, and sleep. A total of 215 FMS patients completed a set of self-report
inventories to assess FMS-related symptoms and underwent the tender point (TP) examination,
physical performance testing, and 7-day home sleep assessment. Forty-seven percent
of our sample was obese and an additional 30% was overweight. Obesity was related
significantly to greater pain sensitivity to TP palpation particularly in the lower
body areas, reduced physical strength and lower-body flexibility, shorter sleep duration,
and greater restlessness during sleep. The results confirmed that obesity is a prevalent
comorbidity of FMS that may contribute to the severity of the problem. Potential mechanisms
underlying the relationship are discussed.
Perspective
This report presents how obesity may be interrelated to fibromyalgia pain, disability,
and sleep. We found that obesity is common in FMS. Approximately half of our patients
were obese and an additional 30% were overweight. We also found that obesity in FMS
was associated with greater pain sensitivity, poorer sleep quality, and reduced physical
strength and flexibility. The results suggest that obesity may aggregate FMS and weight
management may need to be incorporated into treatments.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: June 10, 2010
Accepted:
March 9,
2010
Received in revised form:
February 25,
2010
Received:
December 2,
2009
Footnotes
Supported by the NIAMS grant (R01AR4888) to the first author.
Identification
Copyright
© 2010 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
