Abstract
BackgroundFibromyalgia (FM) is a pain syndrome, the mechanisms and predictors of which are still unclear. We have earlier validated a set of FM-symptom questions for detecting possible FM in an epidemiological survey and thereby identified a cluster with “possible FM”. This study explores prospectively predictors for membership of that FM-symptom cluster.MethodsA population-based sample of 8343 subjects of the older Finnish Twin Cohort replied to health questionnaires in 1975, 1981, and 1990. Their answers to the set of FM-symptom questions in 1990 classified them in three latent classes (LC): LC1 with no or few symptoms, LC2 with some symptoms, and LC3 with many FM symptoms. We analysed putative predictors for these symptom classes using baseline (1975 and 1981) data on regional pain, headache, migraine, sleeping, body mass index (BMI), physical activity, smoking, and zygosity, adjusted for age, gender, and education. Those with a high likelihood of having fibromyalgia at baseline were excluded from the analysis. In the final multivariate regression model, regional pain, sleeping problems, and overweight were all predictors for membership in the class with many FM symptoms.ResultsThe strongest non-genetic predictor was frequent headache (OR 8.6, CI 95 % 3.8–19.2), followed by persistent back pain (OR 4.7, CI 95 % 3.3–6.7) and persistent neck pain (OR 3.3, CI 95 % 1.8–6.0).ConclusionsRegional pain, frequent headache, and persistent back or neck pain, sleeping problems, and overweight are predictors for having a cluster of symptoms consistent with fibromyalgia.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12891-016-0873-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a pain syndrome, the mechanisms and predictors of which are still unclear
The study population is based on the Finnish Twin Cohort, which consists of twin pairs born before 1958, with both twins alive in 1975, at the time of the first cohort-wide health questionnaire [13]
Exclusions In the present study, we aimed to identify predictors of onset of LC2 and, in particular, LC3 memberships, i.e. predictors of the high incidence of FM symptoms as a proxy for widespread pain (WSP) and FM
Summary
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a pain syndrome, the mechanisms and predictors of which are still unclear. We have earlier validated a set of FM-symptom questions for detecting possible FM in an epidemiological survey and thereby identified a cluster with “possible FM”. This study explores prospectively predictors for membership of that FM-symptom cluster. Fibromyalgia (FM) is today better understood and recognised than 25 years ago, when the classification criteria for FM were first published [1]. These criteria are: (1) A history of widespread pain (WSP) (pain on the left and right sides of the body, above and below the waist, and axial skeletal pain); (2) pain on palpation of at least 11 of 18 specified sites.
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