Fibromyalgia in lupus erythematosus

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Immunology
• Pain Medicine

Background:

• Fibromyalgia is frequently observed in systemic lupus erythematosus.
• Limited data exist on fibromyalgia prevalence in other lupus subsets and its risk factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the prevalence of fibromyalgia in patients with various lupus erythematosus subsets.
• To identify associations between fibromyalgia and clinical/laboratory parameters, and disease activity.
• To compare fibromyalgia occurrence across different lupus subsets.

Main Methods:

• Sixty patients with lupus erythematosus subsets were assessed for fibromyalgia based on tender points and pain duration.
• Clinical and laboratory data were collected and compared with a lupus registry.
• A subset of 30 patients underwent a 1-year follow-up to evaluate fibromyalgia symptoms and lupus disease activity.

Main Results:

• Ten out of 60 lupus patients (16.7%) met fibromyalgia criteria, all female.
• Fibromyalgia-positive patients reported more headache, morning stiffness, alopecia, muscle pain, arthralgia, renal involvement, cytopenia, rheumatoid factor, hypergammaglobulinaemia, and corticosteroid/azathioprine use.
• Fibromyalgia was more prevalent in systemic lupus than other subsets, but did not correlate with lupus activity during follow-up.

Conclusions:

• Fibromyalgia and lupus erythematosus appear to be distinct conditions.
• Patients with lupus erythematosus are at increased risk for developing secondary fibromyalgia.
• Fibromyalgia symptoms in lupus patients may complicate the assessment of lupus disease activity.