News - Link Between Fibromyalgia Pain And Weather Not Borne Out

[Guest guest]

Link Between Fibromyalgia Pain And Weather Not Borne Out

A widespread belief that pain levels in patients with fibromyalgia predict

worsening weather has not been borne out with clinical scrutiny.

A statistically significant relationship between fibromyalgic pain and the

weather was not found in a study by Dr Egil Fors and colleagues at the

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Medicine, Ostmarka Hospital,

Trondheim, Norway.

At the same time, the investigators said: " It is possible that a group of

patients with less chronic fibromyalgia might be weather sensitive. "

Patients with fibromyalgia (FM) often report that weather conditions

influence their pain. " In fact, weather sensitivity is a minor criterion for

the diagnosis of FM, " the investigators add.

It is has been doubted that patients with rheumatism can predict the weather

from their pain, although patients have reported this and the claim has been

scientifically studied since the 19th century. Studies have found increased

pain in arthritic conditions among patients living in a poor climate, as

well as correlation of rheumatoid arthritic

pain with temperature and relative humidity.

Dr Fors enrolled 55 women, ranging, aged from 21 and 68, who had had

confirmed fibromyalgia from between three and 45 years. The women rated

their pain levels, using a validated and reportedly accurate scoring system

known as a visual analogue scale, for 28 days.

Official meteorological readings were taken at 1400 hours every day of the

study.

The researchers found that women who had had fibromyalgia for under 10 years

were more sensitive to weather changes than women who had been in constant

pain for longer. Overall, weather changes did not significantly predict pain

levels either on the same or next day, or vice versa.

There was no evidence of a causal effect. The researchers also double

checked the two days with the greatest degree of weather change to see if

there was any noticeable effect on pain scores. No significant pain level

changes were recorded.

The clinicians note that high subjective pain sensitivity and low thresholds

for pain perceptions are common features in patients with FM. " However, we

did not find any influence of the initial levels of anxiety and depression

or the corresponding personality traits on the relationship between FM pain

and the weather. "

Dr Fors and colleagues conclude: " The anecdotal beliefs about a directional

relationship between FM pain and the weather do not find support in our

study. The effect size calculations show that if relationships did exist and

we did not detect them, they are probably of little clinical relevance. "

ls of the Rheumatic Diseases 2002;61:247-50.

[Guest guest]

I find it interesting that this study was done by the department of

psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Makes me wonder if there wasn't

just a " bit " of predispostion of assumption toward the subjects

(patients). Just call me skeptical.

Juney