Unique clinical and psychological correlates of fibromyalgia tender points and joint tenderness in rheumatoid arthritis.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the relationship of fibromyalgia (FM) tender points to other manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).


METHODS
Sixty-seven RA patients completed questionnaires at study entry and described symptoms, emotionally significant events, and mood every evening for 75 days. Joint and tender point examinations were conducted every 2 weeks.


RESULTS
Controlling for joint tenderness, the tender point count correlated with the degree of daily stress. Depression was not significantly related when daily stress was controlled for.


CONCLUSIONS
We conclude that FM tender point counts correlate uniquely with RA patients' reports of daily stress.
Urrows
S
S
University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington 06030.
Affleck
G
G
Tennen
H
H
Higgins
P
P
D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*