OP0310 GENDER AND FIBROMYALGIA SEVERITY: REAL LIFE DATA FROM THE ITALIAN REGISTRY
Authors: A. Batticciotto, F. Campanaro, F. Atzeni, A. Alciati, M. DI Carlo, L. Bazzichi, M. Govoni, G. Biasi, M. DI Franco, F. Mozzani, E. Gremese, L. Dagna, F. Fischetti, R. Giacomelli, S. Guiducci, G. Guggino, M. Bentivegna, R. Gerli, C. Salvarani, G. Bajocchi, M. Ghini, F. Iannone, V. Giorgi, S. Farah, S. Bonazza, S. Barbagli, C. Gioia, A. Capacci, G. Cavalli, F. Carubbi, F. Nacci, R. Ilenia, L. Sinigaglia, M. Cutolo, A. Cappelli, P. Sarzi-Puttini, F. Salaffi
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2021)

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) patients report chronic widespread pain, fatigue, cognitive difficulties and sleep disturbances, often associated with anxiety and/or depression (1). FM syndrome more frequently affects women and many papers describe gender-related differences in the perception, description and expression of pain (2), but up to now, the impact of gender on the clinical severity of FM is still a controversial topic. Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyse the data from a web-based registry of FM patients in order to detect a relationship between gender and disease severity. Methods: Adult patients with FM, diagnosed on the basis of the 2010/2011 American College of Rheumatology (ACR) diagnostic criteria (3), were recruited at 19 Italian rheumatology centres between November 2018 and April 2019. Those affected by other conditions that could interfere with the assessment of FM, e.g. psychiatric disorders, were excluded from the study. The severity of the disease was evaluated by validated FM-specific questionnaires: the revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR) (4), the modified Fibromyalgia Assessment Status (ModFAS) questionnaire (5), and the Polysymptomatic Distress Scale (PDS) (6). The data obtained were collected in the Italian Fibromyalgia Registry, an online registry created with the support of the Italian Society of Rheumatology (SIR). Results: We analyse data from 2.381 patients affected by FM, 2.184 females (91.7%) and 197 males. No significant differences in mean age, disease duration, or BMI between the two genders were reported. The women expressed greater disease burden as indicated by higher scores for each completed test: higher mean ModFAS score (25.23 ± 8.83 Vs 23.37 ± 9.22; p = 0.005), mean FIQR score (58.62 ± 23.22 Vs 51.68 ± 23.06; p &lt;0.001), and mean PDS score (18.77 ± 7.34 Vs 17.19 ± 7.25; p = 0.004). Figure 1 shows the mean scores of each item of the FIQR divided by gender. Women reported significantly higher values on all the items of FIQR except three (feeling overwhelmed, FIQR-11; depression, FIQR-16; and anxiety, FIQR-18). It is interesting to note that men self-reported higher levels of depression (FIQR-16). Figure 1. Mean scores for each FIQR item by gender. Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate that women with FM are globally more impaired than men (even if some psychological aspects of the disease are comparable), thus reinforcing the idea that gender plays a role in symptoms and functional impairments associated with the disease. References: [1]Clauw DJ. Fibromyalgia: a clinical review. JAMA. 2014;311:1547-55. [2]Nascimento, et al. Gender role in pain perception and expression: an integrative review. BrJP. 2020; 3: 58-62 [3]Wolfe F, et al. Fibromyalgia criteria and severity scales for clinical and epidemiological studies: A modification of the ACR preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia. J Rheumatol 2011;38:1113–22. [4]Burckhardt CS, et al. The fibromyalgia impact questionnaire: development and validation. J Rheumatol 1991;18:728–33. [5]Salaffi F, et al. Diagnosis of fibromyalgia: comparison of 2011/2016 ACR and AAPT criteria and validation of the modified Fibromyalgia Assessment Status. Rheumatol 2020; 0:1-8. [6]Wolfe F, et al. Fibromyalgia prevalence, somatic symptom reporting, and the dimensionality of polysymptomatic distress: results from a survey of the general population. Arthritis Care Res. 2013; 65:777–85 Disclosure of Interests: None declared.