Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Fibromyalgia Patients
Condition: Fibromyalgia; Chronic Low-back Pain
MeSH terms: COVID-19; Fibromyalgia; Myofascial Pain Syndromes; Low Back Pain
Study type: Observational [Patient Registry]

Summary: 
      In this study, the effects of the symptoms related to the diseases of patients with
      fibromyalgia during the COVID-19 pandemic, their limitations in their social and business
      life, the need for different drugs, stress levels and the effect of the pandemic on the
      disease activity will be evaluated.
    

Detailed description: 
      Psychological stress caused by the COVID-19 pandemic may contribute to the severity and
      duration of physical pain. However, when added to the economic stress due to social
      isolation, pain may worsen in patients with chronic pain, especially fibromyalgia, prone to
      anxiety and depression. Due to the fact that many occupational sectors, which concern the
      whole society, have come to a halt, being obliged to live a sedentary life due to inability
      to perform their profession may have caused an increase in the body mass index of people.
      During the pandemic days, our concentration and health services may have shifted from the
      diseases of our branch to COVID-19 and the branch health services offered may be disrupted.
      However, the call of the country administrators to stay home and the concept of social
      isolation caused the routine outpatient clinic follow-ups to be delayed. Lack of sufficient
      data on how fibromyalgia patients were affected in previous pandemics and the pandemic we are
      in, the disease levels of the patients in this period, restrictions in their social
      environment, difficulties in reaching the doctor may have exacerbated the course of the
      diseases. In this study, the effects of the symptoms related to the diseases of patients with
      fibromyalgia during the COVID-19 pandemic, their limitations in their social and business
      life, the need for different drugs, stress levels and the effect of the pandemic on the
      disease activity will be evaluated. The data to be obtained can be a guiding resource for us
      in the ongoing pandemic and in the fight against future pandemics due to the mutated genetic
      structure of the virus.
    

Intervention name(s): Perceived stress scale; Fibromyalgia impact questionnaire; The drugs used before and during the pandemic, the patient's job status, physical activity conditions, pain status
Intervention type(s): Other; Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Perceived stress scale (PSS) : The PSS is a validated 10-item self-report questionnaire which asks individuals to indicate how often they have found their lives unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloaded in the last month. The higher scores indicating greater perceived stress.; Fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ): The FIQ is composed of 10 items. The first item contains 11 questions related to physical functioning - each question is rated on a 4 point Likert type scale. Items 2 and 3 ask the patient to mark the number of days they felt well and the number of days they were unable to work (including housework) because of fibromyalgia symptoms. Items 4 through 10 are horizontal linear scales marked in 10 increments on which the patient rates work difficulty, pain, fatigue, morning tiredness, stiffness, anxiety and depression.; Drug using: Antidepressant, SNRI, gabapentin, SSRI, myorelaxan, nsaid, paracetamol, pregabalin, tramadol, food supplement.
Job status: Participants were questioned about their occupational status before and during the pandemic as "I am a housewife", "I quit my job", "I worked from home", "I worked part-time" and "there was no change in my job".
Physical activity: "I do not have physical activity", "I do my daily work at home", "I do daily walks", "I exercise regularly".
Pain status: Participants were questioned that their pain conditions before and during the pandemic were "much worse", "worse", "a little bad", "no change", "a little good", " better", It was questioned as "much better".
Observational model: Cohort
Time perspective: Prospective
Sampling method: Probability Sample
Study population: 
        465 healthy participants, 465 patients with low back pain, 465 patients with fibromyalgia
      
Keywords: Fibromyalgia; Pandemic; Chronic Pain