RESEARCH REPORT POSTER DISPLAY

PREVALENCE OF FIBROMYALGIA AND ASSESSMENT OF ASSOCIATED SYMPTOMS, FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE, IN EMBU, SAO PAULO, BRAZIL. Assumpção A, Cavalcante A, Sauer J, Chalot S, Capela C, Marques A; Physiocaltherpy, Speech an Ocupational Therapy Department of Medicine School of University of Sao Paulo

PURPOSE: Fibromyalgia is a rheumatic syndrome characterized by chronic widespread pain, tender points, fatigue, sleep disorders and morning stiffness. Functional Disability and negative impact in the quality of life are also frequent. Studies show a fibromyalgia prevalence around 2% and 3%. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of fibromyalgia, associated symptoms, functional disability and quality of life in residents of Embu, SP, Brazil. RELEVANCE: Physiotherapy and exercise in general have being described as an important form of treatment to fibromyalgia patients, improving pain, functional disability and quality of life of fibromyalgia patients. With the fibromylagia prevalence, the health care system could prepare the physioterapists to treat this kind of patients properly. PARTICIPANTS: The sample was selected in individuals of the primary health care, aged by 35 and 60 years old. Of all 2269 subjects with phone number, we interviewed 768 with questions about presence of pain, pain location and time of pain. Of these subjects, 304 were personally evaluated. METHODS: The subjects were interviewd by phone with questions about pain and pernosinally evaluated about tender points examination and assessment of pain by the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), sleep disorders by the Post Sleep Inventory (PSI), fatigue by the Chalder Fatigue Scale, functional disability by Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ) and quality life by the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ). ANALYSIS: The data were analysed using Descriptive, Baeysian and Interferential Analyses (Kruskal-Wallis, Friedmam, ANOVA, with significance level of 5%) RESULTS: The 768 subjects were distributed in three groups: Without Pain (WP) – 185 individuals, Regional Pain (RP) – 388 individuals and Widespread pain (WpP). In the sub-sample of 304 subjects, the groups of chronic widespread pain were classified in Fibromyalgia (FM), with 19 subjects, and Non-Fibromyalgia, with 87 subjects. The mean age was 47.9 (7.2) years old for 768 sample and 49.1 (6.8) for the 304 sub-sample. The prevalence of chronic widespread pain was 24%, with 95% credibility interval [21%; 27%] and fibromyalgia prevalence was 4.4%, with 95% credibility interval [2.6%; 6.3%]. CONCLUSIONS: The fibromylagia prevalence in Embu, Brazil is similiar to other countries for people aged between 35 and 60 years old. Pain, sleep disorders, fatigue, functional disability and quality of life were worse in the FM Group, followed by WpP, RP and WP. IMPLICATIONS: The physiotherapits should take care for fibromyalgia patients because they are in large number in the world and with importants symptons. While fibromyalgia cure is not discoverd, physiotherapy is one of the most effect treatment to improve the quality of life of that patients. KEYWORDS: Prevalence, Fibromyalgia, Pain, Sleep disorders, Fatigue, Disability evaluation, Quality of life. FUNDING ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: Fundação para Amparo a Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento do Estado de São Paulo – FAPESP (Sao Paulo State Fundation for Research and Development Support); Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq (National Committee of Scientific and Tecnology Development). CONTACT: anassumpcao@gmail.com

ETHICS COMMITTEE: Ethics Committee for Analyses of Research Studies of Clinical Hospital of Medicine School of University of Sao Paulo (process: 161/2004)