Fibromyalgia and PTSD
Fibromyalgia and PTSD
June 16, 2004
Berlin, Germany - An investigation of fibromyalgia (FM) in former Israeli soldiers has revealed a link between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the development of the condition, but no association with major depression [ 1 ].
In the study, presented at the EULAR 2004 meeting last week, fibromyalgia was found in nearly half (49%) of the men with PTSD, compared with only 5% of those who suffered from depression, and none at all in a control group of healthy men (p<0.0001). "Normal average males have no tender spots on their bodies, so it was very unusual to find such a high number of men showing this level of pain," says lead investigator Dr Howard Amital (Hadassah-Hebrew University School of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel).
The study was chosen by the scientific committee for inclusion in the official EULAR press pack. As fibromyalgia is commonly seen in women, it's unusual for a study of the condition to focus exclusively on males. The findings from this study, however, also overturn the common assumption that the psychiatric illnesses often seen alongside fibromyalgia result as a consequence of the chronic pain, the EULAR press release comments.
This study suggests that PTSD precipitates the emergence of fibromyalgia, Amital says. "It is not that psychiatric illness is necessarily correlated with fibromyalgia, but PTSD certainly is," he comments. "The symptoms may overlap, but the degree and intensity of these disorders are so closely related that it cannot be just a coincidence."
War veterans too deeply affected to benefit from rehabilitation
Amital et al conducted their study in 3 groups of men, all now in their 40s, who had served at some stage in the military forces. One group of 49 men acted as controls and were recruited on a scheduled routine annual physical examination at the Sheba Medical Center. Another group of 20 men had major depression, while the third group of 55 men had been diagnosed with PTSD. "The major traumatic event in all the PTSD patients was combat-related and sustained during wars fought by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)," the researchers explained. All of them were considered to be too deeply affected to benefit from rehabilitation and had been classified as "nonrehabilitative" by the Israeli defense ministry.
On average, the number of "tender points" among the PTSD patients was 8.9, compared with 2.85 in the group with depression and 0.18 in the normal controls (p<0.0001). A significant correlation was found between the FM tender-point score and measures of PTSD, sleep quality, and disability, the researchers noted. In comparison with the group of men who had major depression, the men with PTSD showed a significant impairment on both vocational and familial aspects of the Sheehan Disability Scale, they added, although both groups scored similarly on the Clinical Global Impression Scale.
In male patients, PTSD is highly associated with fibromyalgia, and the degree and impact of these disorders is significantly related, the researchers concluded. They also commented that the link between PTSD and fibromyalgia in male patients that they found in their study contrasts with the lack of any such link with major depression, despite the fact that the severity of both psychiatric ailments was similar.
June 16, 2004
Berlin, Germany - An investigation of fibromyalgia (FM) in former Israeli soldiers has revealed a link between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the development of the condition, but no association with major depression [ 1 ].
In the study, presented at the EULAR 2004 meeting last week, fibromyalgia was found in nearly half (49%) of the men with PTSD, compared with only 5% of those who suffered from depression, and none at all in a control group of healthy men (p<0.0001). "Normal average males have no tender spots on their bodies, so it was very unusual to find such a high number of men showing this level of pain," says lead investigator Dr Howard Amital (Hadassah-Hebrew University School of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel).
The study was chosen by the scientific committee for inclusion in the official EULAR press pack. As fibromyalgia is commonly seen in women, it's unusual for a study of the condition to focus exclusively on males. The findings from this study, however, also overturn the common assumption that the psychiatric illnesses often seen alongside fibromyalgia result as a consequence of the chronic pain, the EULAR press release comments.
This study suggests that PTSD precipitates the emergence of fibromyalgia, Amital says. "It is not that psychiatric illness is necessarily correlated with fibromyalgia, but PTSD certainly is," he comments. "The symptoms may overlap, but the degree and intensity of these disorders are so closely related that it cannot be just a coincidence."
War veterans too deeply affected to benefit from rehabilitation
Amital et al conducted their study in 3 groups of men, all now in their 40s, who had served at some stage in the military forces. One group of 49 men acted as controls and were recruited on a scheduled routine annual physical examination at the Sheba Medical Center. Another group of 20 men had major depression, while the third group of 55 men had been diagnosed with PTSD. "The major traumatic event in all the PTSD patients was combat-related and sustained during wars fought by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF)," the researchers explained. All of them were considered to be too deeply affected to benefit from rehabilitation and had been classified as "nonrehabilitative" by the Israeli defense ministry.
On average, the number of "tender points" among the PTSD patients was 8.9, compared with 2.85 in the group with depression and 0.18 in the normal controls (p<0.0001). A significant correlation was found between the FM tender-point score and measures of PTSD, sleep quality, and disability, the researchers noted. In comparison with the group of men who had major depression, the men with PTSD showed a significant impairment on both vocational and familial aspects of the Sheehan Disability Scale, they added, although both groups scored similarly on the Clinical Global Impression Scale.
In male patients, PTSD is highly associated with fibromyalgia, and the degree and impact of these disorders is significantly related, the researchers concluded. They also commented that the link between PTSD and fibromyalgia in male patients that they found in their study contrasts with the lack of any such link with major depression, despite the fact that the severity of both psychiatric ailments was similar.
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