This report describes a follow-up study of 176 individuals seen between 1980 and 1990, in whom a diagnosis of post-traumatic fibromyalgia was made. Sixty-seven people completed a lengthy questionnaire and underwent a confirmatory physical examination using the American College of Rheumatology Criteria to confirm or deny the presence of fibromyalgia at the time of follow-up. A total of 60.7% noted the onset of symptoms after a motor vehicle accident, 12.5% after a work injury, 7.1% after surgery, 5.4% after a sports-related injury and 14.3% after other various traumatic events. Fifty-six of 67 individuals had 11 or more tenderpoints (average, 13.5), 3 had 10 tenderpoints, and 7 had fewer than 10 or no tenderpoints. Study subjects were asked to compare the use of the following for the first 2 yr after onset as well as the year preceding the current evaluation: biofeedback, medications, physical therapy, manipulation, massage therapy and tenderpoint injections. In addition, we asked detailed questions regarding symptoms commonly seen in association with fibromyalgia (fatigue, sleep disturbance, etc.). Symptoms of traumatically induced fibromyalgia are quite similar to spontaneous fibromyalgia. There was a dramatic reduction in the use of all forms of physical treatments. Fifty-four percent continued to use over-the-counter pain medications, and 39% were on antidepressants. Eighty-five percent of the patients continued to have significant symptoms and clinical evidence of fibromyalgia.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Immunologic profile of patients with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is a musculoskeletal disorder characterized by generalized myalgias, arthralgias widespread tender points in discreet areas on examination. It is frequently accompanied by fatigue, stiffness, and a nonrestorative sleep pattern. These patients generally have a normal blood count and chemistry profile. There is a subset of people with fibromyalgia (FM) who test positive for the antinuclear antibody (ANA) and have constitutional symptoms that resemble those of patients with early lupus. We studied the immunologic profile of patients with FM who are ANA-positive (+). A retrospective review of patient records in a university-based rheumatology practice was conducted. In a group of 66 FM patients, 30% (20) were ANA+, with a 75% preponderance of the speckled pattern and 20% diffuse pattern. The remaining 5% were equally split between diffuse-speckled and speckled-nucleolar patterns. All had negative staining for extractable nuclear antibodies. The Smart Index (SI), a ratio of the sedimentation rate to one-half the patient's age, was developed to characterize each patient's inflammatory response. The FM patients who were ANA negative (-) had a mean SI of 0.55, whereas the FM patient's who were ANA+ had a SI of 1.07. These ANA+ patients represent a subgroup of patients who have FM with an inflammatory response profile larger than that of the ANA-patients.

Adolescent↗