POS1113 THE FREQUENCY OF FIBROMYALGIA IN PATIENTS WITH SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS AND ASSOCIATED FACTORS
Authors: S. Mistry, A. Daoud, M. Magrey, O. Pamuk
Journal: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (2024)

<h3>Background:</h3> Musculoskeletal symptoms, fatigue, and sleep disturbances are common in SLE and can significantly impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Fibromyalgia (FM) symptoms, including generalized body pain, fatigue, and disrupted sleep, are frequently observed in SLE patients, detrimentally impacting their HRQoL. Additionally, FM in SLE patients contributes to increased fatigue, anxiety, depression, and mental exhaustion. Managing treatment decisions and assessing treatment response, especially in the context of musculoskeletal issues, becomes intricate and complex when FM is a comorbidity in SLE patients. <h3>Objectives:</h3> This study's objective is to systematically review the literature and to determine the frequency of FM in patients with SLE and associated factors. <h3>Methods:</h3> The systematic review and meta-analysis adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) 2020 guidelines and checklists. A literature review was conducted to assess the prevalence of FM in SLE patients and to identify FM-associated factors. This involved searching the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases from 1959 to 2023 using the keywords 'systemic lupus erythematosus,' 'lupus,' and 'fibromyalgia'. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies analyzing FM rates in SLE patients, with SLE classification based on the 1997 ACR revised criteria. Cohorts, case-control, and population-based studies were included, while those not focusing on FM rates in SLE patients were excluded. Data on FM-associated factors and FM frequency in control or connective tissue disease (CTD) groups were obtained if available. Secondary analyses compared FM frequencies in SLE and other groups (healthy controls or CTD groups). Consistency checks were performed among abstracts, tables, and text in each study. A random effect model was used to detect the frequency of FM in the SLE series, generating forest plots for composite data, odds ratio (OR), and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (CI) for each subgroup. Study heterogeneity was assessed using I<sup>2</sup>. <h3>Results:</h3> We identified 418 articles through our literature search. After reviewing titles and abstracts, 115 articles warranted a comprehensive full-text review. Fifty-six studies met the eligibility criteria (Figure 1). Out of the 56 studies, nine included comparative data between SLE patients and healthy controls, while six studies presented data comparing the frequency of FM in patients with SLE and other CTDs. The combined cohorts included a total of 58,052 SLE patients. Among 5,063 SLE patients, FM was detected. The overall random-effects pooled prevalence of FM was 15.8% (95%CI: 13.4-18.5) with high heterogeneity (I<sup>2</sup>: 97.9%) (Figure 2A). Our analysis revealed a significantly higher risk of FM in patients with SLE compared to controls (OR: 3.7, 95%CI: 2.74-5.0) (Figure 2B). There was a higher risk of FM in SLE patients compared to other rheumatic diseases, but the difference was not significant (OR: 1.38, 95%CI: 0.86-2.21). <h3>Conclusion:</h3> Our study showed that the prevalence of FM is elevated in patients with SLE compared to the general population. FM in SLE patients may act as a confounding factor when assessing disease activity and treatment response. Research results indicate that concurrent fibromyalgia is a frequent comorbidity in SLE, emphasizing the importance of recognizing its occurrence in SLE patients. <h3>REFERENCES:</h3> [1] 68 references listed, will not fit in the word or character count <h3>Acknowledgements:</h3> <b>NIL.</b> <h3>Disclosure of Interests:</h3> <b>None declared.</b>