Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Sep;60(9):2839-44.
doi: 10.1002/art.24772.

Neurologic signs and symptoms in fibromyalgia

Nathaniel F Watson  1 , Dedra Buchwald, Jack Goldberg, Carolyn Noonan, Richard G Ellenbogen
Affiliations

Neurologic signs and symptoms in fibromyalgia

Nathaniel F Watson et al. Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the type and frequency of neurologic signs and symptoms in individuals with fibromyalgia (FM).

Methods: Persons with FM (n = 166) and pain-free controls (n = 66) underwent systematic neurologic examination by a neurologist blinded to disease status. Neurologic symptoms lasting at least 3 months were assessed with a standard questionnaire. We used logistic regression to evaluate the association of neurologic symptoms and examination findings with FM status. Within the FM group we examined the correlation between self-reported symptoms and physical examination findings.

Results: Age- and sex-adjusted estimates revealed that compared with the control group, the FM group had significantly more neurologic abnormalities in multiple categories, including greater dysfunction in cranial nerves IX and X (42% versus 8%) and more sensory (65% versus 25%), motor (33% versus 3%), and gait (28% versus 7%) abnormalities. Similarly, the FM group had significantly more neurologic symptoms than the control group in 27 of 29 categories, with the greatest differences observed for photophobia (70% versus 6%), poor balance (63% versus 4%), and weakness (58% versus 2%) and tingling (54% versus 4%) in the arms or legs. Poor balance or coordination, tingling or weakness in the arms or legs, and numbness in any part of the body correlated with appropriate neurologic examination findings in the FM group.

Conclusion: This blinded, controlled study demonstrated neurologic physical examination findings in persons with FM. The FM group had more neurologic symptoms than did the controls, with moderate correlation between symptoms and signs. These findings have implications for the medical evaluation of patients with FM.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Wolfe F, Smythe HA, Yunus MB, Bennett RM, Bombardier C, Goldenberg DL, et al. The American College of Rheumatology 1990 Criteria for the Classification of Fibromyalgia. Report of the Multicenter Criteria Committee. Arthritis Rheum. 1990;33(2):160–172. - PubMed
    1. Ablin J, Neumann L, Buskila D. Pathogenesis of fibromyalgia - a review. Joint Bone Spine. 2008;75(3):273–279. - PubMed
    1. Bradley LA. Pathophysiologic mechanisms of fibromyalgia and its related disorders. J Clin Psychiatry. 2008;69 Suppl 2:6–13. - PubMed
    1. Wolfe F. The clinical syndrome of fibrositis. Am J Med. 1986;81(3A):7–14. - PubMed
    1. Heffez DS, Ross RE, Shade-Zeldow Y, Kostas K, Shah S, Gottschalk R, et al. Clinical evidence for cervical myelopathy due to Chiari malformation and spinal stenosis in a non-randomized group of patients with the diagnosis of fibromyalgia. Eur Spine J. 2004;13(6):516–523. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms