Correlation Between Sleep and Voice Disorders in Patients with Fibromyalgia

To investigate the link between sleep and voice disorders in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS).

Cross-sectional METHOD: Adult patients aged 18 to 65 years with a diagnosis of FMS were recruited from the Rheumatology Clinic of a tertiary referral center between April 2026 and June 2026. Fibromyalgia syndrome was diagnosed by a board-certified rheumatologist based on the 2016 American College of Rheumatology diagnostic criteria. Secondary outcome measures included the Voice Handicap Index-10 (VHI-10) and the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for hoarseness.

A total of 101 patients, 63 patients with FMS and 38 controls, were included in the study. All patients included were females. There was a statistically significant difference in the mean VHI-10 and VAS scores between the FMS group and the control group (6.10 ± 7.20 vs 1.65 ± 1.30, P < 0.001, and 2.00 ± 1.69 vs 1.18 ± 0.393, P = 0.004, respectively). There was a statistically significant difference in the mean PSQI score between the FMS group and controls (8.65 ± 4.02 vs 5.97 ± 4.10, P = 0.007), even after adjusting for confounding demographic variables (adjusted P = 0.033). There was also a mild positive association between VHI-10 and PSQI scores (adjusted coefficient = 0.340, adjusted P = 0.080). However, the correlation was no longer significant after adjusting for confounding variables (P = 0.080, adjusted coefficient = 0.340).

Sleep and voice disorders are more common in patients with FMS in comparison to controls. The presence of an association, albeit mild, between sleep disturbance and self-perceived voice handicap underscores the need to screen for sleep disorders in FMS patients presenting with dysphonia.