Psychosocial Variables and Healthcare Resources in Patients with Fibromyalgia, Migraine and Comorbid Fibromyalgia and Migraine: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Fibromyalgia and migraine frequently coexist. We aimed to compare the burden caused by fibromyalgia (FM), migraine (M) and comorbid fibromyalgia and migraine (FM + M) by assessing psychosocial variables and the use of healthcare resources. A survey was posted to the websites of different patients’ associations. It included sociodemographic data, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, the Insomnia Severity Index, the EuroQOL-5D-5L and a questionnaire evaluating the use of healthcare resources during the past six months. In total, 139 FM patients, 169 M patients and 148 FM + M patients participated in the survey. Mean depression and insomnia scores were clinically relevant in every group and significantly higher in FM + M (16.3 ± 5.4 for depression, 18.5 ± 5.6 for insomnia) than in FM (14.3 ± 5.7 for depression, 16.8 ± 5.5 for insomnia) or M (11.7 ± 5.4 for depression, 13.1 ± 5.9 for depression), where p < 0.001 in both cases. Suicidal ideation was frequent in every group, but significantly more frequent in FM + M (63% vs. 45% in FM and 35% in M; p < 0.001). EQ-5D-5L (0.656 ± 0.1 in FM + M, 0.674 ± 0.1 in FM, 0.827 ± 0.1 in M, p < 0.001) and EQ-5D-5L VAS scores (38.2 ± 21.9 in FM + M, 45.6 ± 21.8 in FM, 63.5 ± 23.7 in M, p < 0.00) were lower than the reported mean population values and the lowest in FM + M. FM and FM + M used more healthcare resources than M. It is concluded that the psychosocial burden was high in the three samples. FM and FM + M had a more relevant impact on patients’ wellbeing and required more medical attention than M. The burden caused by FM + M was higher than in both individual diseases.