Rheumatologic conditions: Sjögren's syndrome, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome

Abstract

Rheumatologists are trained to diagnose diseases of joints and connective tissue, and treat patients with the goal of alleviating pain and slowing or stopping degenerative processes. However, many patients who are seen in a rheumatology practice will also present with complaints of cognitive dysfunction, and it is known that chronic pain is associated with neuropsychological impairment [1]. In this chapter, I will summarize the current findings on cognitive function in fibromyalgia (FM) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), two syndromes that are frequently treated by rheumatologists and where cognitive dysfunction is prevalent [2-5]. © 2010 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.