SAT0695-HPR ASSOCIATION OF PHYSICAL FITNESS WITH HEALTH-RELATED QUALITY OF LIFE IN WOMEN WITH FIBROMYALGIA
Authors: Inmaculada C. Alvarez-Gallardo, Víctor Segura-Jiménez, Fernando Estevez-Lopez, Alberto Soriano Maldonado, Milkana Borges Cosic, Pedro Acosta-Manzano, Blanca Gavilán Carrera, Ana Carbonell-Baeza, Manuel Delgado-Fernández
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2019)

<h3>Background:</h3> Physical fitness (PF) represents a marker of health and is associated with health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Different components of PF have shown to be consistently associated with lower symptomatology in people with fibromyalgia<sup>1,2</sup>. Identifying which PF components are associated with HRQoL in people with fibromyalgia may contribute to the development of more specific therapeutic strategies. <h3>Objectives:</h3> The aim was to examine the associations of different PF components with HRQoL in women with fibromyalgia. <h3>Methods:</h3> This population-based cross-sectional study included 466 women with fibromyalgia. The Senior Fitness Tests battery plus handgrip test were used to assess PF and the 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) was used to assess HRQoL. Tender points, cognitive impairment, anthropometric measurements and medication usage were also measured and used as confounders. Firstly, multivariate linear regression assessed the individual relationship of each PF test with the eight dimensions of the SF-36. Secondly, a standardized composite score was computed for each component of PF (aerobic fitness, muscular strength, flexibility and motor agility). Forward stepwise regression was performed to analyse which components of PF were independently associated with the SF-36 physical and mental component scales. <h3>Results:</h3> Overall, higher performance on PF tests was associated with higher levels of HRQoL in all SF-36 dimensions and subscales (all p&lt;0.05 or p&lt;0.001) except for associations between handgrip with social functioning, emotional role, mental health and mental component scale, as well as the chair sit-and-reach test with the general health dimension. The muscular strength composite score was independently (from other fitness components and confounders) associated with the SF-36 physical component scale (p&lt;0.001), while the flexibility composite score and cardiorespiratory fitness were independently (from other fitness components and confounders) associated with the SF-36 mental component scale (both p&lt;0.05). <h3>Conclusion:</h3> High PF is consistently associated with better HRQoL in women with fibromyalgia. Muscular strength, flexibility and cardiorespiratory fitness are independent indicators of HRQoL in this population. These results might have implications for future intervention studies because it could facilitate the selection of the most suitable exercise interventions according to the clinical profile of each patient. <h3>References</h3> [1] Soriano-Maldonado A, Ruiz JR, Aparicio VA, Estévez-López F, Segura-Jiménez V, Álvarez-Gallardo IC, et al. Association of physical fitness with pain in women with fibromyalgia: The al-Ándalus project. Arthritis Care Res 2015;67. [2] Estévez-López F, Gray CM, Segura-Jiménez V, Soriano-Maldonado A, Álvarez-Gallardo IC, Arrayás-Grajera MJ, et al. Independent and combined association of overall physical fitness and subjective well-being with fibromyalgia severity: the al-Ándalus project. Qual Life Res 2015;24. <h3>Acknowledgement:</h3> This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness [I+D+i DEP2010-15639, I+D+i DEP2013-40908-R to M.D.-F.; BES-2014-067612 to F.E.-L.]; the Spanish Ministry of Education [FPU2014/02518 to MB-C; FPU 15/00002 to B.G.C]; the Consejería de Turismo, Comercio y Deporte, Junta de Andalucía [CTCD-201000019242-TRA to MD-F]. <h3>Disclosure of Interests:</h3> None declared