title: Characteristics of fibromyalgia in Muslim Bedouin women in a primary care clinic.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Roni
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Peleg
authors.forename: Jacob N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Ablin
authors.forename: Aya
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Peleg
authors.forename: Lily
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Neumann
authors.forename: Rasmia Abu
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Rabia
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Buskila
mesh_terms: 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