In patients with fibromyalgia, there are 18 tender points that are more sensitive than in healthy subjects

Objective Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome whose main symptoms include chronic fatigue, extensive muscle pain and a decrease in pressure pain thresholds (PPT). The Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) is a valid and reliable tool that reflects the impact of the disease on the quality of life of patients with FM. Our goal was two-fold: – to compare the PPT of 18 points between healthy subjects and fibromyalgia patients; – to compare the FIQ score with the mean of the PPT. Material/patients and methods The sample of the population consisted of two groups, 10 patients with FM and 15 healthy subjects (control group). The PPT was determined with an Algometer ® . We used an algorithm to determine order of measure of PPT. We applied increased pressure until the subject felt pain and pressed the button. We tested the 18 points (9 pairs: Occiput, low cervical, trapezius, supraspinatus second rib, lateral epicondyle, gluteal, greater knee) three times. Then, the subjects with FM completed the FIQ and obtained a score of 0 to 100. Results The mean age of the FM and control groups are 57.4 and 48.8 years old respectively ( P  u003e 0.05). The FIQ score in FM group was 58 ± 12 (M ± SD). For all of the 18 tender points tested, patients with FM showed lower PPT that healthy participants (129 ± 58 vs. 349 ± 73 Kpa, P 2 (trochanter), whereas in healthy subjects, they were between 2.8 (occiput) and 4.4 kg/cm 2 (great trochanter). Furthermore, we did not find any significant correlation between the score of the FIQ and the mean PPT of the patients with FM ( r  u003e –0.648; P  = 0.07). Discussion – conclusion We confirmed the data from the literature, that the PPT is lower in patients with fibromyalgia. Nevertheless, the presence of PPT less than 400 Kpa (4 kg/cm 2 ) in healthy subjects calls into question this threshold. However, more subjects would be required to confirm this trend and to show a correlation between the FIQ score and the PPT of fibromyalgia subjects.