Background/Purpose:  
Paresthesias are common in patients with fibromyalgia.  We evaluated the
symptoms of numbness and tingling in fibromyalgia patients and rheumatic
disease controls without fibromyalgia.

Methods:   104
fibromyalgia patients meeting the 2010 ACR criteria for fibromyalgia and 124
rheumatic disease controls without fibromyalgia answered a questionnaire
regarding the presence of paresthesias. They were asked if they had
numbness or tingling; whether it was constant, intermittent, or frequent; and
also the location of their numbness and tingling; the intensity; whether there
were color changes in the hands or feet; skin temperature changes; symptoms
related to rubbing the area; symptoms related to putting on socks or gloves;
and numbness and tingling related to activity.

Results: 104
fibromyalgia patients and 124 rheumatic disease controls without fibromyalgia
responded to the questionnaire during an office visit in a rheumatology
practice.  45% of the fibromyalgia patients compared with 19% of the
controls indicated that they had frequent paresthesias, 55% of fibromyalgia
patients versus 33% of the controls indicated that they had intermittent
paresthesias, and 20% of fibromyalgia patients versus 9% of controls answered
that they had constant paresthesias. 51% of the fibromyalgia patients
versus 41% of the controls experience color changes in the hands and feet, 61%
of fibromyalgia patients versus 45% of the controls had skin temperature
changes, 28%.

On a 1-10 visual analog scale
with 10 being very severe, fibromyalgia patients were 5.51 and controls were
4.83.

Conclusion:   Fibromyalgia patients more often experience paresthesias
than rheumatic disease controls.  The paresthesias are more commonly
frequent or constant compared with rheumatic disease controls without
fibromyalgia.  The paresthesias are often widespread and frequently
associated with color changes in the hands and feet, skin temperature changes,
symptoms when rubbing the area, symptoms with putting on socks or gloves, and
paresthesias related to activity.

The subjective sensations of
numbness and tingling, without a neurological deficit, appear to be a common
component of the fibromyalgia syndrome.  We suggest that
fibromyalgia-related paresthesias be further described, such as using a term
like “paresthesias of unknown etiology”or  Idiopathic paresthesias
(IP). 

Similar to other syndromes based
on subjective symptoms, such as irritable bowel syndrome and migraine, the
terms “paresthesias of unknown etiology” or “idiopathic paresthesias” may
describe patients with and without fibromyalgia who do not have a clear
neurological basis for these symptoms. 

A descriptive name might be reassuring
to patients who otherwise feel that the physician thinks they are “crazy,” or
that their paresthesias might be part of a more serious neurological syndrome
(such as multiple sclerosis), despite reassurance from a neurologist or other
practitioner.