Large Fibre Neuropathy: Part of Fibromyalgia or Coexisting Entity?

Abstract

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the incidence of large fibre neuropathy (LFN) in fibromyalgia (FM) patients with peripheral neuropathy symptoms and to examine the effect of LFN and FM on pain, quality of life, sleep quality, disability, and depressive symptoms. Methods Between June 2018 and February 2019, a total of 104 patients (67 females, 37 males; mean age: 52.21±9.53years; range, 31-74 years) with the diagnosis of FM were included in the study. The patients were divided into 2 groups, Group 1 including polyneuropathy (PNP) patients (n=48) and Group 2 including non-PNP patients (n=54). Group 1 was further divided into 2 subgroups: sensory PNP (n=28) and sensorimotor PNP (n=20). All patients were evaluated using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Short Form-36 (SF-36), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results There was no statistically significant difference in demographic characteristics between the groups (p>0.05). There was a statistically significant difference in the VAS, SF-36, BDI, FIQ, and PSQI scores between Group 1 and Group 2 (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in the VAS, SF-36, BDI, FIQ, and PSQI scores between the sensory and sensorimotor PNP groups (p>0.05). Conclusions Our study results show that FM associated with LFN has an adverse effect on pain, quality of life, sleep quality, disability, and depressive symptoms compared with FM without LFN, indicating the importance of neuropathy management in FM patients.