Levels of depression and its relation with clinical symptoms in young women with fibromyalgia

Abstract

The objective of the study was to evaluate the level of depression in patients with Fibromyalgia (FM) and in healthy controls, and to compare them according to clinical findings. Furthermore, we aimed to determine the correlations between number of tender points and level of depression, age, pain level and clinical findings. Fifty-two female patients and 38 healthy controls were taken into the study according to ACR (American College of Rheumatology) criteria in 1990. The social demographical characteristics, as well as dyspnea, constipation, anxiety, headache, tachycardia, sleep disturbances, skin eruption, morning stiffness were evaluated. The level of the pain was measured by Visual Analog Scala (VAS) and depression by Beck Depression Scala (BDS). The mean age of the patients was 38.73±9.55 years and the controls was 35.57±9.71 years. There was significant difference between patients and controls according to clinical findings except skin eruption (p<0.001). According to BDS, the patients in depressive group (=17) had significant more dyspnea, pollacuria, tachycardia, sleep disturbances than those without depression (<17) (p<0.05). In patients with FM there were positive correlations Beck score and dyspnea (r=0.348, p<0.05), pollacuria (r=0.362, p<0.01). tachycardia (r=0.336, p<0.05) and sleep disturbances (r=0.340, p<0.05). As conclusion, depression is seen more commonly in patients with FM and in those with depression sleep disturbances, dyspnea, pollacuria and tachycardia are increasingly present.