Comorbidity of fibromyalgia with medical and psychiatric disorders.
OBJECTIVE
Patients with fibromyalgia have been reported to display high rates of several concomitant medical and psychiatric disorders, including migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, major depression, and panic disorder. To test further these and other possible associations, we assessed the personal and family histories of a broad range of medical and psychiatric disorders in patients with fibromyalgia.


METHODS
Subjects were 33 women (mean age 42.1 years) who each met American College of Rheumatology criteria for fibromyalgia and presented to a rheumatologist at a tertiary referral center. They received the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID); a supplemental interview, in SCID format, for other medical and psychiatric disorders, including migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, and chronic fatigue syndrome; and an interview for family history of medical and psychiatric disorders.


RESULTS
Patients with fibromyalgia displayed high lifetime rates of migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, major depression, and panic disorder. They also exhibited high rates of familial major mood disorder.


CONCLUSIONS
The finding that migraine, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, major depression, and panic disorder are frequently comorbid with fibromyalgia is consistent with the hypothesis that these various disorders may share a common physiologic abnormality.
Hudson
J I
JI
Biological Psychiatry Laboratory, McLean Hospital, Belmont, Massachusetts 02178.
Goldenberg
D L
DL
Pope
H G
HG
Keck
P E
PE
Schlesinger
L
L
D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D003109:Colonic Diseases, Functional / Q000150:complications; D015897:Comorbidity; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D015673:Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic / Q000150:complications; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D008875:Middle Aged; D008881:Migraine Disorders / Q000150:complications; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics; D016584:Panic Disorder / Q000150:complications; D010698:Phobic Disorders / Q000150:complications; D012307:Risk Factors; D013001:Somatoform Disorders / Q000150:complications