Depression, pain, BMI predicted fatigue for fibromyalgia patients

WASHINGTON — Depression, pain severity and BMI were most significantly associated with fatigue in patients with fibromyalgia, according to results presented at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting.

Researchers sent validated self-report questionnaires to a random sampling of 1,303 patients from a national fibromyalgia registry. Questionnaires included the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, Brief Pain Inventory, Medical Outcome Study Sleep Scale, Profile of Mood States – Short Form and Autonomic Symptom Profile. Multiple linear regression was used to analyze data.

Ann Vincent

“I’m an internist and my primary interest is why people come to the clinic and say they are tired, not just [fibromyalgia] patients. Why are people tired?” researcher Ann Vincent, MD, director of the fibromyalgia clinic at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., told Healio.com.

Completed questionnaires were returned by 858 (66%) patients (mean age, 56.52; 92.2% women), with an overall model fit of R2=0.41. Depression/dejection (B=–1.0; P<.0001) was the most significant predictor of fatigue, followed by pain/severity (B=1.7; P<.0001), BMI (B=0.3; P<.0001) and sleep problems index (B=0.2; P<.001). Age, tension/anxiety and autonomic symptoms were not significant predictors.

“A portion of the fatigue that patients with fibromyalgia report could be explained by variables such as pain severity, sleep difficulties, depression and BMI,” Vincent said. “In this sample with the measures we used, 41% of the fatigue could be explained by [those variables].

“I thought [the results] would explain a larger portion of the fatigue. This shows that fatigue needs more study. We really need to look at what fatigue is and understand fatigue better.”

For more information:

Vincent A. P1869: Predictors of Fatigue in Fibromyalgia. Presented at: American College of Rheumatology 2012 Annual Meeting; Nov. 10-14, Washington.