Gender and psychosocial context as determinants of fibromyalgia symptoms (fibromyalgia research criteria) in young adults from the general population.

OBJECTIVE

To quantify the prevalence of FM (FM research criteria), to describe its components-symptom severity score (SSS) and widespread pain index (WPI)-and to identify biopsychosocial predictors of the severity of SSS as well as WPI using a population-based sample of young adults.

METHODS

Participants were part of the 21-year-old follow-up of the EPITeen cohort, which was set up during the 2003-04 school year and comprised subjects born in 1990 attending schools in Porto, Portugal (n = 1719, 51.4% women). Data on biopsychosocial characteristics were collected, and FM-related information was gathered using the Fibromyalgia Survey Questionnaire. Sex-specific multivariate log-binomial regression coefficients (β) and 95% CI were used to quantify the associations between adverse biopsychosocial characteristics and high scores in SSS and WPI.

RESULTS

The overall point-prevalence of FM was 1.0%. Women scored significantly higher in SSS and WPI when compared with men. Global psychological distress was strongly and significantly associated with high scores in SSS in women and men (respectively, low sleep quality, β = 1.44, 95% CI 1.05, 1.84 and β = 1.19, 95% CI 0.78, 1.61; depressive symptoms, β = 1.64, 95% CI 1.23, 2.06 and β = 1.14, 95% CI 0.60, 1.70; eating disorders, β = 1.17, 95% CI 0.71, 1.63 and β = 1.15, 95% CI 0.52, 1.78). In women, adverse socioeconomic factors were predictors of high scores in SSS, whereas in men these contexts were significantly associated with high scores in WPI.

CONCLUSION

In young adulthood, psychological distress was particularly consistent in predicting SSS and may become useful as a red flag for the establishment of clinical disease.