Serum lipid profile in patients with primary fibromyalgia

Abstract EN

Background : fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic musculoskeletal disorder characterized by wide spread body pain, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome and increased tenderness at specific anatomic sites.

This study is undertaken to compare the serum lipid profiles between patients with primary FMS and healthy controls, and to investigate if there is a relationship between the serum lipid levels and the symptoms in FMS patients.

Patients and methods : Fifty patients with primary FMS were included in this study (37 females and 13 males) the age range of (17-65) years (Mean ± SD) (40.13 ± 12.0) years, and thirty healthy individual volunteers (21 females and 9 males), their age and sex matching with FMS patients, age ranging (18-63) years, (Mean ± SD) (36.1 ± 10.0) years.

Serum lipid profile parameters: Total cholesterol (T.

chol), Triglyceride (Tg), and high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) were quantitatively determined by colorimetric method in sera of patients and controls while low density lipoprotein-chol.

(LDL-C) and very low density lipoprotein-chol.

(VLDL-C) levels were determined according to Firewall equation.

Pain intensity was measured using visual analogue scale (VAS) clinical features like sleep disturbance, emotional distress, and fatigue were reported.

Results : HDL levels was lower in FMS patients than controls (Mean ± SD) (43.94 ± 3.54) mg / dl vs.

(63.30 ± 7.03) mg / dl, this lowering was highly significant statistically (p < 0.000) ,while serum LDL-C concentration was higher in patients than in control group (Mean ± SD) (112.38 ± 25.05) mg / dl vs.

(94.67 ± 18.13) mg / dl, this elevation was highly significant statistically (p = 0.001).

Conclusion : the result of the current study showed significant difference in lipid levels between FMS patients and healthy match controls.

More extensive investigation of the lipid levels is required to determine whether the lipid levels are associated with FMS.