Rebecca Grayston1, Gabriela Czanner2, Kareim Elhadd3, Andreas Goebel4, Bernhard Frank4, Nurcan Üçeyler5, Rayaz A Malik6, Uazman Alam7. 1. Department of Eye & Vision Sciences, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool and Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK. 2. Department of Eye & Vision Sciences, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool and Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK; Department of Biostatistics, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK. 3. The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK. 4. The Pain Research Institute, University of Liverpool and The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK. 5. Department of Neurology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany. 6. Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar, Doha, Qatar. 7. Department of Eye & Vision Sciences, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool and Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK; Diabetes & Endocrinology Research & Pain Research Institute, Department of Eye & Vision Sciences, Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool and Aintree University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Liverpool, UK; Department of Diabetes and Endocrinology, Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University NHS Hospital Trust, Liverpool, UK; Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Gastroenterology, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. Electronic address: uazman.alam@liverpool.ac.uk.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Fibromyalgia is a condition which exhibits chronic widespread pain with neuropathic pain features and has a major impact on health-related quality of life. The pathophysiology remains unclear, however, there is increasing evidence for involvement of the peripheral nervous system with a high prevalence of small fiber pathology (SFP). The aim of this systematic literature review is to establish the prevalence of SFP in fibromyalgia. METHODS: An electronic literature search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library databases. Published full-text, English language articles that provide SFP prevalence data in studies of fibromyalgia of patients over 18years old were included. All articles were screened by two independent reviewers using a priori criteria. Methodological quality and risk of bias were evaluated using the critical appraisal tool by Munn et al. Overall and subgroup pooled prevalence were calculated by random-effects meta-analysis with 95% CI. RESULTS: Database searches found 935 studies; 45 articles were screened of which 8 full text articles satisfied the inclusion criteria, providing data from 222 participants. The meta-analysis demonstrated the pooled prevalence of SFP in fibromyalgia is 49% (95% CI: 38-60%) with a moderate degree of heterogeneity, (I2 = 68%). The prevalence estimate attained by a skin biopsy was 45% (95% CI: 32-59%, I2 = 70%) and for corneal confocal microscopy it was 59% (95% CI: 40-78%, I2 = 51%). CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of SFP in fibromyalgia. This study provides compelling evidence of a distinct phenotype involving SFP in fibromyalgia. Identifying SFP will aid in determining its relationship to pain and potentially facilitate the development of future interventions and pharmacotherapy.
OBJECTIVES:Fibromyalgia is a condition which exhibits chronic widespread pain with neuropathic pain features and has a major impact on health-related quality of life. The pathophysiology remains unclear, however, there is increasing evidence for involvement of the peripheral nervous system with a high prevalence of small fiber pathology (SFP). The aim of this systematic literature review is to establish the prevalence of SFP in fibromyalgia. METHODS: An electronic literature search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL and the Cochrane Library databases. Published full-text, English language articles that provide SFP prevalence data in studies of fibromyalgia of patients over 18years old were included. All articles were screened by two independent reviewers using a priori criteria. Methodological quality and risk of bias were evaluated using the critical appraisal tool by Munn et al. Overall and subgroup pooled prevalence were calculated by random-effects meta-analysis with 95% CI. RESULTS: Database searches found 935 studies; 45 articles were screened of which 8 full text articles satisfied the inclusion criteria, providing data from 222 participants. The meta-analysis demonstrated the pooled prevalence of SFP in fibromyalgia is 49% (95% CI: 38-60%) with a moderate degree of heterogeneity, (I2 = 68%). The prevalence estimate attained by a skin biopsy was 45% (95% CI: 32-59%, I2 = 70%) and for corneal confocal microscopy it was 59% (95% CI: 40-78%, I2 = 51%). CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of SFP in fibromyalgia. This study provides compelling evidence of a distinct phenotype involving SFP in fibromyalgia. Identifying SFP will aid in determining its relationship to pain and potentially facilitate the development of future interventions and pharmacotherapy.
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