Prevalence and Impact of obesity on fibromyalgia syndrome and its allied symptoms

BACKGROUND: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a commonly occurring and disabling chronic pain disorder of unknown etiology. It is a syndrome of widespread diffuse pain with a low pain threshold and different FMS allied symptoms. Obesity is a comorbidity that is commonly occurring with FMS and may be linked to its severity. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity in FMS and their effect on pain and FMS allied symptoms. METHODS: One hundred and ten (10 male and 100 female) FMS patients diagnosed following the 1990 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria for FMS completed a questionnaire about age, gender, and pain severity on a visual analog scale (VAS), evaluated for morning stiffness, disturbance of sleep, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and irritable bowel and the count of tender points. Weight, height, and body mass index (BMI) were calculated for all participants. RESULTS: Seventy-four (67.27%) were overweight/obese; of them, 68 (61.81%) were females. All the FMS allied symptoms were more prevalent in overweight/obese FMS patients. Overweight/obese FMS patients have a high number of TP and greater pain sensitivity to TP palpation. CONCLUSION: Overweight and obesity are commonly associated with FMS. Obesity may contribute to the severity of FMS and its allied symptoms.