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Author Spotlight: Methodologies and Advancements of Chronic Pain Management Research
Published on: January 5, 2024
Is there a new finding added to the fibromyalgia syndrome?
Banu Sarifakioglu1, Aliye Yildirim Guzelant1, Seref Alpsoy2
1Deparment of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Namik Kemal University Faculty of Medicine, Tekirdag, Turkey.
Objective:
The aim of this study is to examine depression and anxiety related arrhytmia risk in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS).
Methods:
Fifty-nine patients with the diagnosis of FMS and 20 control participants were included in the study. Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Visual Pain Scale (VPS) surveys were applied to determine the severity of the disease. Beck Anxiety (BAS) and Beck Depression scales (BDS) were applied to all participants. Electrocardiograms were obtained from all participants. P-wave dispersions (Pd) were estimated to determine the risk of the atrial arrhythmia, and QT wave dispersion (QTd) and corrected QT(QTdd) values were used to predict the risk of ventricular arrhythmia.
Results:
BAS and BDS results were significantly higher in the patient group compared to the control group (p˂0001). In the patient group, Pd was significantly longer (p=0.034). Other clinical, and demographic data did not differ significantly between groups.
Conclusion:
In this study, the risk of arrhythmia in FMS was evaluated and increased Pd in patients with FMS compared to the control group was detected. This finding shows increased risk of atrial fibrilation (AF) in patients with FMS. If we consider that patients with fibromyalgia consist relatively of young patients together with the increased risk of AF with age, it is important to follow-up these patients in later ages for AF risk.

