Anxiety and depression in patients with primary and secondary fibromyalgia in Bulgaria

Abstract

Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterized by a chronic widespread pain, general fatigue, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances and functional disorders. FM affects both women and men in 9:1 to 20:1 ratio. Osteoarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus and other diseases have often been and continue to be associated with fibromyalgia. The incidence rate of secondary FM in SLE and OA patients is around 20%. The purpose of this clinical study is to analyze anxiety and depression in patients with primary and secondary fibromyalgia. In prospective study eighty-three patients with primary FM, 39 patients with FM and osteoarthritis (OA), 23 patients with FM and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 27 patients with SLE and 36 healthy subjects were included. The present study compared chronic pain, anxiety and depression in patients with primary FM, patients with SLE, FM + OA, FM + SLE and healthy subjects. Based on the HADS clinical parameter, anxiety and depression are a statistically significant difference of the control group, as compared to patients with primary FM, FM + OA, FM + SLE (p<0,05) and no difference in patients with SLE (p=0.77). There was no significant difference in HADS depression scores between the three groups of fibromyalgia patients. There was no significant difference in terms of the clinical parameter of depression between the SLE and FM + SLE groups. The comparison between the patient groups is important to evaluate the disease activity and the treatment to be recommended.