Characteristics of fibromyalgia in Muslim Bedouin women in a primary care clinic.
BACKGROUND
Fibromyalgia (FM) has been described and studied in various sociocultural settings in both developed and developing countries.


OBJECTIVE
To study the clinical manifestations of FM and to describe its effect on quality of life in the unique setting of Muslim Bedouin women in the southern Israel Negev desert area.


METHODS
One hundred two Bedouin women were recruited from a primary health care clinic in the Negev area. All patients fulfilled American College of Rheumatology criteria for the diagnosis of FM. Tenderness was assessed by manual dolorimetry and the fibromyalgia impact questionnaire was utilized to estimate the severity of FM symptoms. Anxiety and depression were assessed by the Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales subscales and quality of life was evaluated by the SF-36 questionnaire.


RESULTS
The study population was characterized by a low educational level, a high rate of consanguinity, a high number of children per mother, and a high rate of polygamy. There was a high frequency of classic FM symptoms such as pain and fatigue, as well as anxiety and depression. The overall impact of FM on quality of life was exceedingly high (8.9 on a scale of 0 to 10).


CONCLUSIONS
FM is relatively common in the unique setting of Muslim Bedouin women and has a very significant impact on their quality of life as well as on their dependents. Physicians involved in the primary care of this population should be attentive to the manifestations of FM and related disorders.
Peleg
Roni
R
Department of Family Medicine, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
Ablin
Jacob N
JN
Peleg
Aya
A
Neumann
Lily
L
Rabia
Rasmia Abu
RA
Buskila
Dan
D
D000328:Adult; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D018912:Arabs; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000208:ethnology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007514:Islam; D007557:Israel; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D012720:Severity of Illness Index