Severity of pain and relationship with psychiatric symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia

Evren, B; Evren, C; Yapıcı, A and Güler, M.H. (2005) Severity of pain and relationship with psychiatric symptoms in patients with fibromyalgia. Anatolian Journal of Psychiatry (Anadolu Psikiyatri Dergisi), 6 (2). pp. 69-74. ISSN 1302-6631

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Abstract

Objective: Aim of this study was to evaluate the severity of pain and relationship with psychiatric symptoms, alexithymia, depression and anxiety in female outpatients with fibromyalgia. Methods: The study was conducted between October 2003 and March 2004 in Baltalimanı State Hospital for Musculoskeletal Disorders in Istanbul. Fifty one patients with fibromyalgia according to the operational criteria proposed by the American College of Rheumatology were included in the study. Other than sociodemographic form, for psychiatric symptoms we used SCL-90. Pain was measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) and the anxiety and depression levels were measured by self-rating scales the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and clinician rating scales the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (Ham-D). Results: VAS showed positive correlation with somatic, anxiety and phobia symptoms of SCL-90, whereas VRS only showed positive correlation with anxiety symptoms. Both VAS and VRS showed positive correlations with BAI and HARS and VRS also showed positive correlation with BDI. There was no correlation with Ham-D. When considering subscales of HARS, VAS showed positive correlation with both subscales of HARS and VRS showed positive correlation with only psychic subscale of HARS. Determinant was BAI score when taking VAS score as a dependent variable in linear regression. VRS score was taken as a dependent variable in other linear regression and determinant was score of psychic subscale of HARS. Conclusion: VAS was associated with somatic symptoms and anxiety, while VRS was associated with psychic anxiety. Nevertheless, results of this study suggest that whatever the causal relationship is anxiety severity rather than depression is related with severity of pain in patients with FM.

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