title: Severity of fibromyalgia symptoms is associated with socioeconomic status and not obesity in Korean patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Several studies conducted in Western countries have shown that obese or overweight patients with fibromyalgia (FM) exhibit more severe symptoms than patients of normal weight. However, there has been no study on the relationship between obesity and FM symptom severity in Asian patients. In this study, we evaluated the association between obesity, and other related factors such as socioeconomic status (SES), and FM symptom severity in Korean patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 343 participants were enrolled in this prospective cohort study, which used a nationwide survey of FM patients who were followed on an annual basis. We investigated health-related quality of life (QoL) and associated factors, such as demographic characteristics, SES, and physical and psychological function. The FM patients were assessed using the following self-reported questionnaires: the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey, the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire, the Brief Fatigue Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Self-Efficacy Scale, and the Social Support Scale.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 343 patients, 76 (22.1%) were obese; these patients did not differ from the non-obese patients in terms of tender points or self-reported questionnaire scores. FM patients with lower SES - as indexed by unemployment, lower income, and education levels - had more severe symptoms, and poorer QoL and function compared to those with higher SES.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In contrast to Western patients, symptom severity in Korean FM patients is associated with SES, but not with obesity.
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School & Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji-Hyoun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School & Hospital, Gwangju, Korea.
authors.forename: Dong-Jin
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Inje University Haeundae Paik Hospital, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Seong-Ho
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Seong-Su
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Nah
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Maryknoll Medical Center, Busan, Korea.
authors.forename: Ji Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu, School of Medicine, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Seong-Kyu
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Yeon-Ah
authors.initials: YA
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Seung-Jae
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyun-Sook
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Hanyang University College of Medicine and the Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hye-Soon
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Allergy and Rheumatology, Ajou University Hospital, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyoun Ah
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Konyang University Medical School, Daejeon, Korea.
authors.forename: Chung-Il
authors.initials: CI
authors.lastname: Joung
authors.affiliation: Departments of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Keimyung University, Daegu, Korea.
authors.forename: Sang-Hyon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Division of Rheumatology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chonnam National University Medical School & Hospital, Gwangju, Korea. shinseok@chonnam.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Shin-Seok
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005356:Fibromyalgia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D056910:Republic of Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012923:Social Class; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires