Fibromyalgia syndrome in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Abstract EN

Background : Fibromyalgia syndrome is a common rheumatological syndrome with multiple systemic manifestations and associated with many diseases.

The aim of the study is to assess the possible association between fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) & chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and to correlate this association with patient's age, age group, sex, marital status, duration of the disease, and its severity. Patients and Methods : Fifty patients with COPD and 50 healthy controls were included in this study.

Full history was taken and complete physical examination was done for all patients in both groups.

Disease characteristics [age, age group, sex, marital status, duration of the disease, and severity of COPD) were also documented.

Pulmonary function tests and chest-X-ray were evaluated for all patients.

The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 1990 Criteria for the classification of FMS were applied to all patients and controls included in this study for diagnosis of FMS. Results : Four (8 %) patients with COPD have FMS compared with 3 (6 %) controls (p = 0.695).

Also FMS was reported in 3 (16.7 %) female patients with COPD compared with 1 (3.1 %) male patient with COPD (p = 0.04).

There was no statistical significant association between FMS and : patient's age, age group, marital status, duration of the disease, and disease severity (p = 0.816, p = 0.481, p = 0.702, p = 0.178, p = 0.181) respectively. Conclusions : FMS is more common in COPD patients compared to controls, but no statistical significant association between them.

There was a statistical significant association between FMS and patient's sex only.