Implications of proposed fibromyalgia criteria across other functional pain syndromes
original abstract †Abstracts here may not perfectly match originals, for a variety of technical and practical reasons. Some abstacts are truncated for my purposes here, if they are particularly long-winded and unhelpful. I occasionally add clarifying notes. And I make some minor corrections.
OBJECTIVES: In 2010, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) proposed new criteria for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia (FM) in the context of objections to components of the criteria of 1990. The new criteria consider the Widespread Pain Index (WPI) and the Symptom Severity Score (SSS). This study evaluated the implications of the new diagnostic criteria for FM across other functional pain syndromes.
METHOD: A cohort of 300 consecutive in-patients with functional pain syndromes underwent a diagnostic screen according to the ACR 2010 criteria. Additionally, systematic pain assessment including algometric and psychometric data was carried out.
RESULTS: Twenty-five patients (8.3%) had been diagnosed with FM according to the ACR 1990 criteria. Twenty-one of them (84%) also met the new ACR 2010 criteria. In total, 130 patients (43%) fulfilled the new ACR 2010 criteria. A comparison of new vs. old cases showed a high degree of conformity in most of the pain characteristics. The new FM cases, however, revealed a pronounced heterogeneity in the anatomical pain locations, including several types of localized pain syndromes. Furthermore, patients fulfilling the ACR 2010 FM criteria differed from those with other functional pain syndromes; they had increased pain sensitivity scores and increased psychometric values for depression, anxiety, and psychological distress (p<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS: FM according to the ACR 2010 criteria describes the 'severe half' of the spectrum of functional pain syndromes. By dropping the requirement of 'generalized pain', these criteria result in a blurring of the distinction between FM and more localized functional pain syndromes.
related content
- “New and Modified Fibromyalgia Diagnostic Criteria,” Neha Garg, www.rheumatologynetwork.com.
- “The American College of Rheumatology 1990 Criteria for the Classification of Fibromyalgia. Report of the Multicenter Criteria Committee,” F Wolfe, H A Smythe, M B Yunus, R M Bennett, C Bombardier, D L Goldenberg, P Tugwell, S M Campbell, M Abeles, and P Clark, Arthritis and Rheumatism, 1990.
- “The American College of Rheumatology preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia and measurement of symptom severity,” Frederick Wolfe, Daniel J Clauw, Mary-Ann Fitzcharles, Don L Goldenberg, Robert S Katz, Philip Mease, Anthony S Russell, I Jon Russell, John B Winfield, and Muhammad B Yunus, Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken), 2010.
- “Fibromyalgia criteria and severity scales for clinical and epidemiological studies: a modification of the ACR Preliminary Diagnostic Criteria for Fibromyalgia,” Frederick Wolfe, Daniel J Clauw, Mary-Ann Fitzcharles, Don L Goldenberg, Winfried Häuser, Robert S Katz, Philip Mease, Anthony S Russell, I Jon Russell, and John B Winfield, Journal of Rheumatology, 2011.
- “Editorial: the status of fibromyalgia criteria,” Frederick Wolfe, Arthritis Rheumatol, 2015.
This page is part of the PainScience BIBLIOGRAPHY, which contains plain language summaries of thousands of scientific papers & others sources. It’s like a highly specialized blog. A few highlights:
- Is Neck Posture Subgroup in Late Adolescence a Risk Factor for Persistent Neck Pain in Young Adults? A Prospective Study. Richards 2021 Phys Ther.
- Photobiomodulation therapy is not better than placebo in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain: a randomised placebo-controlled trial. Guimarães 2021 Pain.
- No effect of creatine monohydrate supplementation on inflammatory and cartilage degradation biomarkers in individuals with knee osteoarthritis. Cornish 2018 Nutr Res.
- The CANBACK trial: a randomised, controlled clinical trial of oral cannabidiol for people presenting to the emergency department with acute low back pain. Bebee 2021 Med J Aust.
- Relationships Between Sleep Quality and Pain-Related Factors for People with Chronic Low Back Pain: Tests of Reciprocal and Time of Day Effects. Gerhart 2017 Ann Behav Med.