title: Fibromyalgia: gender differences and sleep-disordered breathing.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The prevalence of fibromyalgia (FM) is much lower in men than in women. Therefore, current knowledge about this chronic pain syndrome emerged mainly from research on women. The aim of the present study was to compare clinical symptoms and sleep parameters between male and female FM patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty FM patients (18 men and 22 women) aged 48.00±8.45 years were evaluated with questionnaires on pain, sleep, fatigue, depression, anxiety and functional impact, and polysomnography (PSG).
  
  
  RESULTS
  61% of male FM patients had an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) greater than 15, compared to 31.8% of women, and a desaturation index (DI) above five, which was twice more prevalent in men than in women. In addition, males had poorer sleep quality (16.05±2.92% vs. 13.08±3.88%; p=0.01) and slow wave sleep (SWS) (stage 3 duration: 9.02±7.84% vs. 14.44±7.32%; p=0.03) than women. No differences were found between the two groups in the level of pain, emotional distress, or daily functioning. However, pain in men, fatigue in women, and functional impact in both sexes seemed to be related to worse sleep quality. Also in women, alterations in total sleep time (TST) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep features appeared to be related to emotional status.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Alterations in sleep respiratory patterns were more highly prevalent in male than in female FM patients. More so in male FM patients, the alterations in sleep patterns, non-refreshing sleep, and other FM-related symptoms observed in this population might be part of a primary sleep-disordered breathing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Personality, Assessment and Psychological Treatment, School of Psychology, University of Granada, Granada, Spain/ Internal Medicine Service, Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, Granada, Spain. germanprados@ugr.es.
authors.forename: Germán
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Prados
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Miró
authors.forename: M Pilar
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Martínez
authors.forename: Ana I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Sánchez
authors.forename: Salvador
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: López
authors.forename: Germán
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sáez
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005221:Fatigue / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017286:Polysomnography; D015656:Respiratory Mechanics; D012737:Sex Factors; D012890:Sleep; D012891:Sleep Apnea Syndromes / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires