Smoking, depression, & stress: predictors of fibromyalgia health status

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of smoking, stress, and depression on fibromyalgia health status. Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic musculoskeletal pain condition that negatively affects health status. Health status is not only affected by the constellation of physical symptoms, but also by mood symptoms, stress levels, and patient behaviors (e.g. smoking). Participants were 491 individuals with a physician's diagnosis of FMS. They completed self-report measures of their current levels of depression, stress, the number of cigarettes smoked per day, and health status. A linear regression analysis was conducted to determine whether these measures predicted FMS health status. All three measures predicted worse health status, predicting 51.5% of the variance in health status. However, it is important to evaluate and treat more than just the physical symptoms of FMS. Attention should also be paid to mental health status and to engagement in unhealthy behaviors in order to reduce their effects on FMS health status. Future researchers should design and evaluate interventions that target these modifiable risk factors to determine the extent to which they could improve health outcomes.

Serum levels of serotonin as a biomarker of newly diagnosed fibromyalgia in women: Its relation to the platelet indices

“…The characteristic features of the FM patients are in agreement with other studies that showed a positive family history and smoking. [ 22 23 ] These observations indicate that FM is a disease that related to the genetic disorder, and the smoking behavior is a reaction to stress. The values of MPV and platelet width distribution were significantly higher in FM patients than healthy individuals.…”

Effect of fibromyalgia on demographic, biochemical, metabolic and inflammatory profiles: a single-centre retrospective study

“…FM patients exhibit a higher preva- lence of smoking, indicating that this population faces a heightened health hazard. Furthermore, smoking may potentially impact pain perception or pain management strategies (16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21). The higher prevalence of lower education levels among FM patients suggests that socioeconomic variables may exert a substantial influence on the risk and management of FM.…”

Comparison of Fibromyalgia Severity in Mothers of Children with Autism Spektrum Disorders (ASD) and Mothers of Children without Psychiatric Disorders

“…[26] Individuals who experience a greater degree of stress exhibit elevated scores for fibromyalgia severity, as per previous research. [27] It is posited that the augmented severity of fibromyalgia in mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in comparison to mothers of neurotypical children may be attributed to an excessive burden of stress.…”