Fibromyalgia Syndrome Pain in Men and Women: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic musculoskeletal disorder of unknown etiology that affects up to 5.0% of the world population. It has a high female predominance, between 80 and 96%. Due to the low number of diagnosed men, research work has focused mainly on women. The extensive body of literature on sex differences in pain in the general population suggests that men and women differ in their responses to pain, with greater sensitivity to pain and a higher risk of clinical pain commonly observed among women. This review aims to: (1) determine how pain is assessed or what types of questionnaires are used, (2) examine whether there are differences in pain characteristics between men and women with FMS and (3) describe how pain is conceptualized or manifested in patients at a qualitative level. In this study, the scoping review method of articles published in the last 5 years (2016–2022) was used. Ten articles were included. The most used questionnaires and scales to assess pain were the PVAS (Pain Visual Analogue Scale) and the FIQ (Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire). On the other hand, five categories were obtained: (1) qualities of pain, (2) uncertainty and chaos, (3) pain as an aggravating factor, (4) adaptation to the new reality and (5) the communication of pain. It has been observed that both subjective perception and widespread pain are higher in women. Men, on the other hand, have a worse impact of the pathology, more painful experiences and more catastrophic thoughts about pain. An updated knowledge of pain in FMS and whether it differs according to sex would be beneficial for clinicians to make an earlier diagnosis and treatment and, in turn, benefit patients suffering from this chronic disease.

Gender differences in symptomatology, socio-demographic information and quality of life in Spanish population with long COVID condition: a cross-sectional study

“…Although it is important to take into account that pain perception is a complex and multifactorial phenomenon, certain studies suggest that women may have a greater sensitivity to pain as compared to men ( 51 , 52 ). Furthermore, women are known to have a higher prevalence of chronic pain conditions, such as fibromyalgia ( 51 , 53 ). Coupled with pain, whether chronic, acute or disease-related, can have a significant negative impact on a person’s quality of life ( 54 ).…”

Psychometric testing of the Rheumatoid Arthritis Work Instability Scale in employed people with fibromyalgia

“…Recruiting from primary care, which may have helped with this, was not feasible as the Clinical Research Networks supporting the study were unable to identify any to assist (National Institute of Health Research, 2023). Additionally, very few men with FM were recruited, although most diagnosed with FM (80%–96%) are women (Ruschak et al., 2023). A further limitation was the sample size, due to the poor targeting of the scale.…”

Editorial: The brain in pain: a multidimensional approach

“…Two studies focus on fibromyalgia (FM), another chronic pain condition, mostly affecting women (Ruschak et al, 2023 ). Bao et al investigated the relationship between fibromyalgia and long-term opioid use, revealing that, quite unexpectedly, temporal summation does not significantly change in FM patients, but negatively correlates with pain ratings, whereas higher opioid dosage correlates with higher heat pain sensitivity.…”