According to a recent study presented during the European League Against Rheumatism Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, specific oxidized low-density lipoproteins and pro-inflammatory cytokines may be related to pain in patients with fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a disorder that causes muscle pain and fatigue. People with fibromyalgia have “tender points” on the body. Tender points are specific places on the neck, shoulders, back, hips, arms, and legs. These points hurt when pressure is put on them. People with fibromyalgia may also have other symptoms, such as trouble sleeping, morning stiffness, headaches, painful menstrual periods, tingling or numbness in hands and feet and problems with thinking and memory.
The causes of fibromyalgia remain unknown, but but the condition is more common in middle-aged women. People with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases are particularly likely to develop fibromyalgia. There is no cure for the condition, but symptoms can be managed with strategies such as getting enough sleep, exercising, and a balanced and healthy diet.
A total of 48 patients with a diagnosis of fibromyalgia (FM) according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2010 criteria and 43 healthy women took part in the study where researchers assessed functional status, symptom severity, and the number of tender points with the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). The researchers also assessed widespread pain with the VAS, the Widespread Pain Index (WPI) and the Symptom Severity Scale (SSS). Blood sera were examined for interleukin (IL)-1-beta, IL-8, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-a), and oxidized low-density lipoprotein (LDL).
The results revealed no differences between both groups in the oxidized LDL, IL-8, TNF-a and IL-1-beta. However, there was a relationship between VAS and serum IL-8 and TNF-a in the group of patients with FM.
The results also revealed in patients with FM a relationship between SSS score and serum oxidized LDL, but no relationship between tender points and the cytokines or oxidized LDL. The results also showed no correlations between FIQ scores and TNF-a, IL-1-beta, IL-8 or oxidized LDL.
The study was conducted by Ozdolap S, and colleagues (Paper #AB0948), and was presented during the European League Against Rheumatism Annual European Congress of Rheumatology, taking place in Rome, Italy between the 10th and the 13th of June.
Glossary of Terms:
[wikibox lang=”en”]Low-density lipoprotein[/wikibox]
[wikibox lang=”en”]proinflammatory cytokine[/wikibox]