Fibromyalgia in systemic lupus erythematosus: prevalence and clinical implications.

Fibromyalgia (FM) is common in SLE patients, and is the source of many of the symptoms and much of the disability in these patients. The association of FM and SLE may pose diagnostic dilemmas. Fibromyalgia does not correlate with SLE disease activity, but the clinical features of FM in these patients may contribute to a misinterpretation of lupus activity. The recognition of the association between SLE and FM is relevant to every physician who treats lupus patients.