Fibromyalgia Features in Patients with Primary Sjögren's Syndrome: Evidence of a Relationship with Psychological Depression

Abstract

The prevalence of musculoskeletal complaints suggestive of the fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) was evaluated in 30 patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (1°SS) and in two control groups of patients with osteoarthritis (OA) and diabetes mellitus (DM). In addition, the presence of depressive state was investigated in patients and controls using the Hamilton rating scale and an Italian self-evaluating test. Fibromyalgia features were found in 14 1°SS patients (47%), in 21 OA (70%) and in 10 DM (33%) controls. 1°SS patients showed the highest prevalence (47%) of moderate-severe depression with respect to OA (20%) and DM (7%) groups (pp<0.001), this correspondence was absent or much less significant in the other disease groups. Finally, neither psychopathological features nor FS complaints appeared to be related to the other clinical and serological findings of 1°SS.