Primary fibromyalgia (fibrositis): clinical study of 50 patients with matched normal controls

Evaluation and treatment of sleep disorders in the medical setting

Sleep disturbances may complicate the clinical presentation of medically ill patients. The assessment and management of sleep disorders in this population requires direct attention to the nature of the relationships between medical illness and sleep disorder. In this paper we present a systematic description of these relationships, which include sleep disturbances secondary to symptoms of a medical illness, sleep disturbances secondary to medical treatment, sleep disorders sharing a similar pathophysiology with medical symptoms, and sleep disturbances and medical symptoms secondary to a psychiatric disorder.

Evaluation of S-adenosylmethionine in primary fibromyalgia. A double-blind crossover study

The effect of S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) and placebo was evaluated in a short-term crossover study of 17 patients with primary fibromyalgia. Eleven of 17 patients had a significant depressive state as assessed by either the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale or the Scala di Autovalutazione per la Depressione (SAD) rating scale. The number of trigger points plus painful anatomic sites decreased after administration of SAMe (p less than 0.02) but not after placebo treatment. In addition, scores on both the Hamilton and SAD rating scales improved after SAMe administration (p less than 0.05 and p less than 0.005, respectively), whereas they did not significantly change after placebo treatment. In all the patients, there was a good correlation between scores on the Hamilton rating scale and the number of trigger points. Thus, this preliminary study confirms the close relationship between primary fibromyalgia and psychologic disturbances, particularly with regards to a depressive state. SAMe treatment, by improving the depressive state and reducing the number of trigger points, seems to be an effective and safe therapy in the management of primary fibromyalgia.

The "chronic, active Epstein-Barr virus infection" syndrome and primary fibromyalgia

Fifty patients with primary fibromyalgia who had been followed in an academic rheumatology practice frequently reported symptoms thought to be typical of "chronic Epstein-Barr virus infection," but not of fibromyalgia: recurrent sore throat (54%), recurrent rash (47%), chronic cough (40%), recurrent adenopathy (33%), and recurrent low-grade fevers (28%). In 55% of the patients, illness had begun suddenly, with what seemed to be a viral syndrome. Antibody titers to Epstein-Barr virus in the patients with fibromyalgia, however, were not significantly different from those in age- and sex-matched "healthy" and "unhealthy" control subjects.

Private body consciousness, anxiety and the perception of pain

Two studies are described which present data consistent with Barsky and Klerman's hypothesis that people who report pain in the absence of an identifiable organic etiology may be attending to and amplifying normal bodily sensations. The results of these studies demonstrated that young college students with a predisposition toward focusing attention on somatic symptoms (high private body consciousness) and scoring high on State Anxiety reported more areas of aches and pains and rated these sensations as more noxious. Additionally, the most frequent areas of pain identified corresponded to the areas commonly seen in a chronic pain population. An attempt to manipulate self-focused attention with a mirror manipulation in Study 2 failed to produce reliable results.

Double-blind study of dothiepin versus placebo in the treatment of primary fibromyalgia syndrome

A double-blind study comparing the efficacy and tolerability of dothiepin with that of placebo in the treatment of primary fibromyalgia syndrome was carried out. Dothiepin was shown to improve significantly the condition of patients with primary fibromyalgia syndrome and there was a significant difference between dothiepin and placebo in all the clinical variables measured. Only mild and transient side-effects were reported. Further controlled studies are required to define the effects of dothiepin on fibromyalgia.

Is chronic pain a variant of depressive disease? The case of primary fibromyalgia syndrome

The responses of 45 primary fibromyalgia syndrome (PFS) patients, 29 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and 31 healthy non-pain controls (NC) on the Zung Self-Rating Depression scale were compared. No difference between the PFS and RA groups was found, although the former has no known organic pathology, unlike the latter. Therefore, the hypothesis that the presentation of chronic pain in the absence of a known organic pathology is a variant of 'depressive disease' was not supported in the case of PFS. However, a subgroup of PFS (28.6%) and RA (31.0%) patients appeared to be experiencing significant depressive symptomatology.

The fibrositis syndrome: diagnosis, differential diagnosis and pathogenesis

The fibrositis syndrome represents a clinically definable entity, which is characterised by spontaneous pain, especially in the lumbar and cervical region, and more rarely in other movable parts, multiple tendomyosis, tendinitis and insertion tendinitis, as well as a wide variety of functional syndromes, vegetative symptoms and psychological disturbances. The course of the illness is rather variable; its commencement can be slow to develop or acute, initially presenting a localised clinical picture similar to a lumbar or cervical condition, and gradually, or in jumps, showing a deterioration accompanied by a generalisation of complaints. Various factors are probably instrumental in triggering off the fibrositis syndrome. The most important ones are emotional stress whereby symptoms of fear, depression, etc. lead to muscle tension and insertion tendinitis. Somatic factors such as malposition of the spinal column, may also contribute towards the manifestation of the clinical picture. The so-called secondary fibrositis syndromes should be defined from the point of view of differential diagnosis; they can develop within the framework of inflammatory rheumatic conditions, through infections and endocrinopathy. Differential diagnosis is very difficult considering depression alongside pain in the movable parts and "psychogenic rheumatism". Smooth transitions are in existence. Polymyalgia rheumatica and polymyositis, which produce similar clinical pictures, must be differentiated from the fibrositis syndrome.

Palindromic rheumatism. A clinical survey of sixty patients

Sixty patients with palindromic rheumatism (PR) with a total follow-up time of 598 years and 295 years prospectively are presented. The study shows that PR is not a rare condition, but the syndrome is often ignored or misdiagnosed by the physician. Most cases of PR appear to evolve into chronic arthritis. PR may precede other kinds of systemic diseases, such as SLE, Wegener's granulomatosis, and multiple myeloma. The presence of PR in patients with fibromyalgia is reported in this paper. Gold appears to be the best drug for the treatment of PR. Cases of fibromyalgia and PR are treated successfully with antimalarial drugs. Our proposed diagnostic criteria for PR are as follows: 1) recurrent attacks of sudden-onset mono or polyarthritis or of periarticular tissue inflammation, lasting from a few hours to one week; 2) verification of at least one attack by a physician; 3) subsequent attacks in at least three different joints; 4) exclusion of other forms of arthritides.

The natural history of fibromyalgia

The natural history of fibromyalgia was studied in 39 treated patients. All patients were surveyed by interviews conducted in 1983 (at an average of 1.3 years after diagnosis), in 1984, and again in 1985. Throughout the survey period, more than 60% of patients had moderate to severe continuing symptoms, and almost all took medications regularly to control symptoms. Younger patients (P = 0.02), those with less severe symptoms at the initial survey (P = 0.005), and those with isolated Raynaud's phenomenon (P = 0.04) were more likely to be doing well 2 years later, although symptom remission was usually transitory.

Fibromyalgia. 1. Review of a common rheumatologic syndrome

Fibromyalgia is a nonarticular rheumatic syndrome of unknown cause characterized by diffuse musculoskeletal aching, pain and stiffness, easy fatigability, multiple discreet tender points, emotional distress, and often, light and restless sleep with intensification of symptoms upon awakening. Symptoms are modulated by environmental, physiologic, and psychological factors. Generally, findings from laboratory tests and roentgenograms are normal. In primary fibromyalgia, no underlying rheumatic or other systemic organic disease is present. Secondary fibromyalgia is a manifestation of underlying disease.

Fibromyalgia. 2. Management guidelines and research findings

Treatment of fibromyalgia includes various forms of therapy--physical, behavioral, psychological, and pharmacologic. No drug therapy has proved uniformly successful, but some drugs provide temporary relief from pain. After an initial therapy program has been established, patients can assume the major responsibility for management. Research studies aimed at defining the cause of fibromyalgia have linked it to sleep disorders, neurogenic mediators, immune mechanisms, muscle disease, and psychological disturbances.

A randomized, controlled trial of amitriptyline and naproxen in the treatment of patients with fibromyalgia

Sixty-two patients with fibromyalgia were randomly assigned to receive 25 mg of amitriptyline at night, 500 mg of naproxen twice daily, both amitriptyline and naproxen, or placebo in a 6-week, double-blind trial. Amitriptyline was associated with significant improvement in all outcome parameters, including patient and physician global assessments, patient pain, sleep difficulties, fatigue on awakening, and tender point score. Patients taking the combined naproxen-amitriptyline regimen experienced minor, but not significant, improvement in pain when compared with patients who took amitriptyline alone. Amitriptyline, or amitriptyline and naproxen, is an effective therapeutic regimen for patients with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia (fibrositis) in children

The features of fibromyalgia (fibrositis) in children are similar to those in adults with the syndrome. Both juveniles and adults report diffuse musculoskeletal aches and/or stiffness with typical modulating factors. Moreover, they have no systemic manifestations, and routine laboratory studies yield normal results. On physical examination in both children and adults, multiple soft-tissue tender points are evident at characteristic, symmetric sites but with no evidence of arthritis.

Concepts of illness in populations as applied to fibromyalgia syndromes

Fibromyalgia syndromes are common noninflammatory, painful musculoskeletal disorders that vary in the extent and intensity of involvement. The biologic gradient of musculoskeletal pain varies from no or few symptoms and tender points in the majority of persons to generalized fibromyalgia with multiple tender points. Standardized criteria are needed in order to categorize different strata of the biologic gradient of fibromyalgia syndromes and differentiate them from other conditions. Both the sensitivity and specificity of criteria should be high. The course and prognosis of fibromyalgia syndromes are not yet known. Limited clinical data suggest three basic patterns: remitting-intermittent; fluctuating-continuing; and progressive. However, course patterns need to be derived scientifically. Multiple host and environmental factors seem to contribute to the onset and course of fibromyalgia syndromes, and these require definition. Generalized fibromyalgia syndromes share many constitutional manifestations with other common functional disorders, e.g., irritable bowel syndrome and tension headache syndrome, which suggest common underlying psychoneurophysiologic mechanisms in a subset of patients. Progress made in fibromyalgia research will find application in many dysfunctional syndromes without obvious organ pathology.

Pathologic changes in muscle in primary fibromyalgia syndrome

Primary fibromyalgia syndrome, also inappropriately called "fibrositis," is a clinically recognizable nonarticular rheumatic condition with diffuse and chronic musculoskeletal aching and stiffness, accompanied by exaggerated tenderness at characteristic sites on physical examination. Results of muscle biopsy from 12 well-defined cases of primary fibromyalgia syndrome without any history of trauma have been published recently. Light microscopic examination revealed no evidence of inflammation. Histochemical analysis demonstrated type II fiber atrophy in seven patients and the "moth-eaten" appearance of type I fibers in five patients. Electron microscopic findings were most impressive, and included myofibrillar lysis with deposition of glycogen and abnormal mitochondria, as well as subsarcolemmal accumulation of glycogen and mitochondria in all 12 patients and papillary projections of sarcolemmal membrane in 11 patients. Mechanisms of these significant muscle changes in primary fibromyalgia syndrome are uncertain but may include subclinical injury of muscle spasm.

Is there a metabolic basis for the fibrositis syndrome?

Patients with the fibrositis syndrome experience moderately severe musculoskeletal discomfort, mood changes associated with nonrestorative sleep, and tenderness to palpation at specific body sites. There is no characteristic abnormal laboratory finding in these patients to help identify the population. A report by Moldofsky and Warsh (Pain 1978; 5: 65-71) of low serum levels of free tryptophan in patients with severe fibrositis syndrome is intriguing but remains unexplained. Those data plus the observation by Hudson et al (Am J Psychiatry 1985; 142: 441-446; Biol Psychiatry 1984; 19: 1489-1493) that patients with fibrositis syndrome exhibit an increased prevalence of anxiety and depression suggest a number of possible avenues for further study. They include potential alterations in the homeostasis of catecholamines, corticosteroids, serotonin, aromatic amino acids, platelet membrane receptor levels, and the activity of platelet membrane monoamine oxidase. Among these possibilities, evidence is now available that suggests an increased production of catecholamines in fibrositis syndrome.

A critical reappraisal of the fibrositis concept

Physicians could use such terms as "fibrositis" and "the myofascial pain syndrome" simply to describe an easily recognized quality of illness. But the terms are chosen as part of a privileged vocabulary designed to assert a pathophysiologic insight(s). On careful consideration, these insights are tenuous at best. Furthermore, the terms, with their pathophysiologic insights, become labels that may perturb the patient's experience of disease in a fashion that is counterproductive.

Development of criteria for the diagnosis of fibrositis

The essential symptoms of fibrositis--widespread aching and pain, disturbed sleep, morning stiffness, and fatigue--are common in both rheumatic and nonrheumatic patients. But the essential sign of fibrositis--widespread local tenderness over specific anatomic sites ("tender points")--is rare in any patients except those with fibrositis. Clinical criteria for the diagnosis of fibrositis rely heavily on a high tender point count in the presence of characteristic fibrositic symptoms. Multiple tender points are uncommon in normal subjects and in those with rheumatic and nonrheumatic disorders. The tender point count thus also serves to distinguish fibrositis from other musculoskeletal diseases.

Is the tender point concept valid?

The finding of multiple tender points is essential to the diagnosis of the fibrositis/fibromyalgia syndrome. Recent studies have shown that the tender point count seems to correlate with the presence of fibrositis symptoms, and can distinguish fibrositic from normal subjects. Although tender points are present in normal subjects, fibrositis patients have far more tender points that are much more tender. Further work is necessary to establish the reliability of tender point measurement, and to investigate and monitor changes in the tender point count with time or therapy.

Socioeconomic impact of fibrositis. A study of 81 patients with primary fibrositis

Demographics and health service utilization were studied for 81 patients with fibrositis during 1985. Patients reported high levels of pain, mild disability, and moderate impairment of global health. Work disability was limited and only 6.3 percent described themselves as disabled. Employed patients were able to work full work weeks. Utilization of outpatient medical services was increased compared with that of control subjects and national averages during the study year, but was consistent with other rheumatic disorders such as osteoarthritis and low back pain. Medication usage was limited and seemed appropriate. Very high hospitalization rates were noted prior to diagnosis of fibrositis, both for musculoskeletal and non-musculoskeletal hospitalizations, but these rates dropped during the post-diagnosis study year.

Immunofluorescent studies of skin in primary fibrositis syndrome

Primary fibrositis syndrome is a painful musculoskeletal disorder of unknown cause. Although numerous hypotheses have been proposed to explain its clinical features, few studies have demonstrated a reproducible tissue abnormality in this condition. Recently, five reports of cutaneous immunoreactant deposition in primary fibrositis syndrome have become available and form the basis of this review. Four of these reports have described immunoglobulin G deposition at the dermal-epidermal junction of sun-exposed skin with a prevalence ranging from 12 to 76 percent. One study reported immunoglobulin M deposition in the dermal vasculature of patients with primary fibrositis syndrome. The reasons for the lack of uniformity in reported prevalence rates and types of skin immunofluorescence in primary fibrositis syndrome are unknown but are assumed to be due to differences in patient populations and immunofluorescence techniques between reporting centers. These factors are discussed in detail and speculations as to the significance of these skin findings are expressed, particularly with respect to the concept of enhanced vascular permeability in these patients.

Current issues concerning management of the fibrositis/fibromyalgia syndrome

The fibrositis/fibromyalgia syndrome is one of the commonest forms of musculoskeletal pain seen in clinical practice. It is diagnosed on the basis of widespread pain accompanied by the physical finding of multiple tender points in remarkably reproducible locations. Accompanying the pain are two symptoms commonly associated with the "systemic" rheumatic disorders, namely morning stiffness and easy fatigability. Unlike the classical rheumatic diseases, however, fibrositis is not responsive to anti-inflammatory medications, including corticosteroids. Current therapeutic strategies, which are only partly successful, are aimed at modifying those factors that seemingly influence the severity and course of the condition; such afferent features include sleep disturbance, overuse syndromes, mechanical stress, psychic stress, and other causes of chronic pain. Major unresolved issues center around the assessment of functional disability in fibrositis and the apparent relationship to trauma in some patients. Until more is known about the underlying pathogenesis of this common condition, significant progress will be thwarted.

The clinical syndrome of fibrositis

Fibrositis is a disorder of musculoskeletal pain and aching with at least a five to one female-to-male ratio. It is most commonly seen between the ages of 40 and 60, and has a prevalence in the clinic of 6 to 15 percent. Its most common mode of presentation involves generalized musculoskeletal pain and aching, but articular pain, axial skeletal pain, myalgias, and neurovascular complaints sometimes predominate. All patients have multiple areas of local tenderness called "tender points" that are easily identified during physical examination, and are diagnostic. Essential symptoms of fibrositis are disturbed sleep, morning stiffness, and fatigue. Additional rheumatic symptoms include subjective swelling, paresthesias, and numbness. Headaches and irritable bowel syndrome are common nonrheumatic complaints. Modest improvement follows treatment by tricyclic agents such as low-dose cyclobenzaprine and amitriptyline, by physical measures, and by reduction in stress. Remission occurs in 20 percent of patients, but is generally short-lived.

Fibromyalgia and menopause. Examination of the relationship

Women predominate at all ages among patients diagnosed as having primary fibromyalgia. Of 100 patients reviewed, the average age at onset of fibromyalgia was 46. Of 65 patients in whom menopause occurred before diagnosis of fibromyalgia, the average age at menopause was 42, and most of these women had menopause related to surgery and insufficient estrogen therapy. Estrogen deficit is, thus, a prominent promoting factor in the majority of fibromyalgia patients and is likely to have an effect on sleep, mood, and anxiety state. These emotional responses may subsequently be somatized as pain. Therefore, estrogen therapy should be added to the treatment armamentarium for fibromyalgia in selected patients.

Reduced high-energy phosphate levels in the painful muscles of patients with primary fibromyalgia

Muscle energy metabolism was studied by chemical analysis of biopsy samples from: 1) trigger points in the trapezius muscle from 15 patients with primary fibromyalgia (PF), 2) nonpainful, anterior tibial muscle from 6 patients with PF, and 3) the trapezius muscle from 8 healthy controls. We found a decrease in the levels of adenosine triphosphate, adenosine diphosphate, and phosphoryl creatine, and an increase in the levels of adenosine monophosphate and creatine, in the trapezius muscles from the patients. These findings support the notion that the pain in patients with PF is of muscular origin.

Comparison of pain properties in fibromyalgia patients and rheumatoid arthritis patients

Pain properties of 50 fibromyalgia patients were examined and compared with pain properties of 50 rheumatoid arthritis patients. In both fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis, pain was bilateral, involved multiple sites, and was of equal intensity (60.8 versus 58.7, respectively, on a scale of 100). Fibromyalgia pain, however, was less localized to the joints and suggested greater spatial diffusion. It involved more kinds of pain experiences (radiating, steady, spreading, spasms, gnawing, unlocalized, pricking, crushing, shooting, pressing, splitting, cramping, nagging, and pins and needles), and was dispersed over larger areas of the body. The anatomic sites best for discrimination between patients with fibromyalgia and patients with rheumatoid arthritis were the lower back, thigh, abdomen, head, and hips for fibromyalgia, and wrist, foot, and fingers for rheumatoid arthritis. The traditional clinical description of aching and stiffness does not appear to accurately describe the complexity of the fibromyalgia pain syndrome.

Evaluation of amitriptyline in primary fibrositis. A double-blind, placebo-controlled study

Seventy patients with primary fibrositis satisfying Smythe's criteria were studied in a 9-week double-blind trial comparing 50 mg amitriptyline with placebo. Fifty-nine patients completed the trial: 27 were treated with amitriptyline, and 32 took a placebo. The patients who received amitriptyline improved significantly in their morning stiffness and pain analog scores at 5 and 9 weeks, compared with baseline scores, whereas no changes were noted in these parameters in the placebo group. Fibrocytic point tenderness did not improve significantly in either of the treatment groups. When compared with the placebo group, the amitriptyline group improved significantly with respect to sleep pattern and patient and physician global assessments. Our data indicate that amitriptyline has some therapeutic benefit in patients with primary fibrositis.

Histological abnormalities in muscle from patients with certain types of fibrositis

In muscle biopsy specimens from fibrositis patients and healthy subjects no differences in electrical charges on the contractile proteins were detected with a microelectrode technique. However, microscopical examination of fibrositis muscle showed muscle fibres connected by a network of reticular or elastic fibres which are absent in normal muscle and which may be the cause of the disorder.

"Fibrositis" syndrome

There appears to be as yet undefined but significant and possibly multifactorial elements of personality, stress, or depression in the manifestations and possibly the pathogenesis of FS. If these factors, perhaps amplified by the neurophysiologic effects of disturbed sleep, produce a neurochemical disturbance in CNS function, and if this perturbation includes a reduction or impairment of function involving the pain-modulation pathways, then a simple and perhaps compelling explanation for the experience of pain in FS becomes apparent. Reduced midbrain/brainstem inhibition of ascending nociceptive impulses would clearly explain the finding of tender points in normal-appearing areas of the body, as well as the lack of segmental distribution of discomfort in FS. Local anesthetics, injected peripherally into tender points, would be expected, as is the case, to block pain and tenderness in the local area for the duration of action of the agent used. Analgesics with peripheral activity, such as aspirin and NSAIDs, are relatively ineffective in treating FS, and would be predictably so in a disorder involving reduced central pain inhibition as opposed to increased peripheral nociceptive input. It would not be surprising to find that centrally acting agents, particularly those producing enhancement of serotonergic neurons such as amitriptyline, would provide substantial or total pain relief as well as improvement in mood in a significant number of patients. Most importantly, this concept would highlight the real pain experienced by these patients and the obligation of involved physicians to appropriately diagnose and treat this common pain syndrome. Avoiding excessive conjecture, it is then permissible at the present time to conclude that: FS is a characteristic, clinically common pain syndrome in which aspects of the pain itself appear to be of physiologic origin. Although stress or inherent personality traits may play a role in FS, the relative uniformity in symptomatology virtually excludes conversion hysteria as a major factor in this disorder. The lack of evidence for a disturbance in muscle, fascia, and other soft tissues in FS, the lack of adequate response to NSAIDs, and the frequent response to TCAs suggest that specific dysfunction of the CNS may play a major role in the symptomatology of this entity. Impaired function of the pain-modulation system, located anatomically in the midbrain and brainstem, provides a plausible explanation for the pain and finding of tender points in FS, as well as a potentially rational basis for therapy.

The use of contemporary MMPI norms in the study of chronic pain patients

In a previous study, Ahles et al. [1] compared the MMPI results of primary fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and non-pain control participants. The purpose of the present study was to reanalyze the original data using the contemporary norms of Colligan et al. [5]. The reanalysis revealed that the pattern of group differences remained the same; however, the number of primary fibromyalgia patients classified as 'psychologically disturbed' was appreciably reduced. These data have clinical relevance in that the incidence of psychopathology in chronic pain patients may be overestimated because of the use of outdated norms. Additionally the data have theoretical relevance in that a large number of patients who present with pain in the absence of a known organic pathology do not present evidence of psychopathology.

Muscle biopsy in primary fibromyalgia. Light-microscopical and histochemical findings

Seventy-seven muscle biopsies from 57 patients with primary fibromyalgia and 17 biopsies from 9 healthy controls were examined by routine histopathological and histochemical methods. All patients fulfilled strict diagnostic criteria. 42 biopsies from patients were deemed normal or borderline, while 35 showed discrete pathological changes (degeneration, regeneration, inflammatory infiltrates, ragged red fibres, and 'moth-eaten' fibres in muscles other than m. trapezius). Biopsies from controls were normal or borderline in 14 and showed mild focal abnormalites in 3 cases. 'Moth-eaten' fibres were found in 35 of 41 trapezius biopsies taken from patients and in 9 of 10 trapezius biopsies from controls. Ragged red fibres were found in 15 of 41 trapezius biopsies taken from patients. In the deltoid muscle, 'moth-eaten' fibres were found in 3 and ragged red fibres in 2 of 9 biopsies from patients. Frequency of type I and type II fibres and the area of muscle fibres were the same in patients as in controls. Capillary density was the same in both groups. These changes, although not sufficient to constitute a diagnostic test for PF, indicate that this condition has an organic basis.

Muscle tissue oxygen pressure in primary fibromyalgia

Trigger points in painful muscle are a characteristic sign in patients with primary fibromyalgia. The MDO oxygen electrode was used to evaluate oxygenation in the subcutaneous tissue and in trigger points in the trapezius and brachioradial muscles. Ten patients and 8 normal controls were studied. The results in the patients were abnormal, with scattered or slalom-slope histograms, indicating low tissue oxygenation. The controls were normal, except in one case. The conclusion is that in patients with primary fibromyalgia, the muscle oxygenation is abnormal or low, at least in the trigger point area of the muscles.

Primary fibromyalgia. A clinical and laboratory study of 55 patients

The clinical symptoms of 55 patients with primary fibromyalgia (PF) were studied and compared with 30 patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The PF patients expressed a more intense feeling of illness than did the RA patients. Stiffness occurred just as often in PF as in RA. Trigger points occurred less frequently in RA patients. Muscular fatigue appeared to be one of the most disabling symptoms in PF. Neurophysiological studies indicated that the fatigue was at least partly of central origin. Ischemic forearm exercise test gave no evidence of impaired glycogenolysis. Laboratory investigation revealed normal 25-hydroxyvitamin D, cobalamin, folate, estrogen, testosterone, and myoglobin in the PF patients.

Imipramine for the treatment of fibrositis: a therapeutic trial

Twenty fibrositic patients were treated with imipramine 50-75 mg/day. Only two patients responded favourably. Nineteen patients stopped therapy during the initial three-month period: 14 of them due to lack of response, while two of these concomitantly disclosed side effects. The additional five patients stopped therapy mainly due to side effects, while only one of them improved with therapy. One patient, only, improved and adhered to therapy for more than three months.

Sustained-release indomethacin in the management of ankylosing spondylitis

Ankylosing spondylitis is a systemic rheumatic disorder that is characterized by inflammation of the spine, sacroiliac, and large peripheral joints. Although back pain is the most frequent presenting symptom, disease can begin in peripheral joints--especially in children and women--and, rarely, even with acute iritis. Whatever the mode of onset, recurrent back pain that is frequently nocturnal and of varying intensity is an eventual complaint, as is early morning stiffness that is typically relieved by activity. The long-term prognosis is clearly enhanced by early diagnosis and patient education, both of which are central to preventing or minimizing disability. By suppressing articular inflammation, pain, and stiffness, the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs facilitate exercise and other supportive measures. Currently, among these agents, indomethacin occupies an important place. By virtue of its 12-hour dosage system, sustained-release indomethacin can be prescribed only once or twice daily, providing the anti-inflammatory efficacy of indomethacin while promoting patient compliance.

Chronic relapsing myalgia (? Post viral): clinical, histological, and biochemical studies

Two patients with persistent myalgia characterised by onset after an ill-defined systemic illness, marked fluctuations in the severity of the symptoms, and normal neuromuscular examination with the exception of variable muscle tenderness on deep palpation, may have a forme fruste of myalgic encephalomyelitis. Differentiation from psychogenic muscle pain is important in management. Muscle histology revealed non-specific Type II fibre atrophy. Mitochondrial respiration was assayed polarographically in intact organelles in vitro and revealed a mild depression of State 3 respiration rates with Site I and Site II substrates.

Clinical characteristics of fibrositis. II. A "blinded," controlled study using standard psychological tests

Twenty-two patients with fibrositis and 22 control patients selected from a general medical outpatient population were given 3 standardized psychological questionnaires: the Beck Depression Inventory, the Spielberger State and Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the SCL-90-R. There were no statistically significant differences between fibrositis patients and control patients on any of these tests, a finding at variance with a commonly held belief that patients with fibrositis have an underlying psychological disorder. While psychological factors may be important in some patients with fibrositis, these results indicate that the presence of a psychopathologic condition is not mandatory for the persistence of fibrositis.

Juvenile primary fibromyalgia syndrome. A clinical study of thirty-three patients and matched normal controls

Primary fibromyalgia syndrome (PFS) is a common and characteristic rheumatologic condition manifested by diffuse musculoskeletal aches, pains, and stiffness frequently modulated by various factors, e.g., weather, physical activity, sleep quality, and anxiety/stress, and accompanied by discrete tender points at typical soft tissue sites. Although well-recognized in adults, this entity has not been reported separately in juveniles. This study documents PFS in 33 juveniles who presented at age 17 or younger and compares their findings with those in age- and sex-matched normal control subjects. As in adult PFS patients, associated non-musculoskeletal symptoms were common, including fatigue, poor sleep, anxiety/stress, headaches, and paresthesias. Physical examination revealed multiple tender points at characteristic soft tissue sites and no objective evidence of arthritis. Routine laboratory test results were normal or negative. Juvenile PFS is often misdiagnosed. Recognition of this common rheumatologic condition in juveniles is important in order to avoid unwarranted investigations and improper management.

The assessment of subjective tension levels among several muscle groups: the tension mannequin

The present paper introduces the Tension Mannequin, a self-report questionnaire on which tension levels of various muscle groups are rated. In Experiment 1 this instrument was administered to 44 normal adults preceding and following relaxation training. Questionnaire results revealed that subjects used three tension level ratings across muscles. Only 14% of the sample rated all muscle groups identically. Pre-training correlations between the individual muscle ratings and a general rating of tension suggested that the general rating was made by averaging tension in various muscle sites. The questionnaire appeared to be sensitive to the effects of relaxation training since pre- and post-comparisons of all muscle groups were significantly different. Experiment 2 investigated whether the questionnaire would differentiate subjects suffering at least three tension headaches per week from those reporting less than three. Results revealed that the frequent headache group had greater subjective tension in the forehead and neck. A case example illustrates how the Tension Mannequin revealed the importance of back discomfort to a patient's experience of tension headaches and general tension.

Limb pain in childhood

As the presenting complaint in 7 per cent of pediatrician visits, pain in the limbs is a common problem in childhood. It is important that the diagnosis be made expeditiously. The authors review the possible organic cause of limb pain, as well as limb pain from conversion reactions and from growing pains, giving special attention to the differential diagnosis so that appropriate treatment for the pain can be initiated.

Psychological factors associated with primary fibromyalgia syndrome

Forty-five ambulatory patients with primary fibromyalgia syndrome (PFS), 30 with rheumatoid arthritis, and 32 normal controls were administered 3 psychological tests: the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), the Life Events Inventory, and the Assertiveness-Aggressiveness Inventory. The PFS patients scored significantly higher on 8 MMPI scales when compared with the normal control group and on 4 MMPI scales when compared with the rheumatoid arthritis group. Further subgrouping of PFS patients according to MMPI scores showed that only 31% were "psychologically disturbed," 33% had a typical chronic pain profile, and 36% were within the normal range. The PFS patients scored higher than the rheumatoid arthritis and normal control groups on the Life Events Inventory but not the Assertiveness-Aggressiveness Inventory.