The prevalence of generalized soft tissue rheumatic conditions in Turkish medical students

To assess the prevalence of generalized soft tissue rheumatism (GSTR) in medical students in Izmir, Turkey.

Medical students from each grade of Medical School of Ege University, Izmir, Turkey, were evaluated by a survey and physical examination for GSTR including fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome, myofascial pain syndrome (MPS), benign joint hypermobility syndrome (BJHS), and chronic fatigue syndrome. FM Impact Questionnaire was assessed in FM diagnosed students. Short Form-36 (SF-36) was obtained from each student to determine the quality of life.

Among the participants (n = 306), 191 were women (62.4%) and 115 were men (37.6%) and mean age was 20.23 +/- 1.56. Fifty-eight students (19%) were diagnosed with a GSTR. The distributions of the diagnoses were: 6 (2%) FM, 21 (6.9%) MPS, 28 (9.2%) BJHS, 1 (0.3%) chronic fatigue syndrome, and 2 students (0.7%) had both BJHS and MPS. Fifty-three (27.7%) women and 5 (4.3%) men were diagnosed with a GSTR (P < 0.01). Mean FM Impact Questionnaire score was 50.8 in FM diagnosed students. Physical role, vitality, and mental subscores of SF-36 were significantly lower in the students having a GSTR (P < 0.05).

This is the first study performed in medical students to find out the prevalence of generalized soft tissue rheumatic conditions. Although medical students are under high stress due to hard training, the prevalence of GSTR in medical students was found similar to previous reports in the general population.