ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

Abstract Number: 895

The Fibromyalgia Syndrome and Widespread Pain Frequency in Active Duty U.S. Service Members with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Bernard Hildebrand1, Jay B. Higgs1, Douglas Williamson2, Edna Foa3, Patricia Resick4, Jim Mintz2, Antoinette Brundige2, Kevin Kelly5, Adam Borah5, Stacey Young-McCaughan2, Brett Litz6, Elizabeth Hembree3 and Alan Peterson2, 1Rheumatology, San Antonio Military Medical Center, JBSA - Fort Sam Houston, TX, 2The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, 3University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 4Duke University, Durham, NC, 5Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center, Fort Hood, TX, 6VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA

Meeting: 2014 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Keywords: ,

Session Information

Title: Fibromyalgia, Soft Tissue Disorders, Regional and Specific Clinical Pain Syndromes I: Research Perspectives

Session Type: Abstract Submissions (ACR)

Background/Purpose:  Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and pain are common amongst US military service members who have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.  Studies suggest the co-morbidity of PTSD and pain exacerbates somatic symptoms, and the relationship between PTSD and somatic symptom disorders, including the fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), is a subject of much importance.  The STRONG STAR Consortium offers a unique opportunity to study FMS in the context of a series of investigations of PTSD risk factors, features, and treatment methods in active duty personnel during a period of ongoing military conflict.  We report the prevalence of FMS and widespread pain (WP) in pre-deployment, active duty US military service members and in post-deployment service members with PTSD. 

Methods:   Active duty US veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan enrolled in STRONG STAR Consortium studies were evaluated.  A questionnaire screening for WP, symptom severity, symptom duration, and a prior diagnosis of a pain disorder was administered as part of the assessment battery for two treatment studies of PTSD patients and a prospective study assessing the effect of military deployment on PTSD development.  The prevalence of WP and FMS were determined using 1990 ACR Criteria and the Wolfe modification to the 2010 ACR criteria, respectively.

Results:  Of 4120 active duty military service members assessed pre-deployment, 118 (3%) met study criteria for the classification of FMS and 244 (5.9%) for WP.  In a cohort of 181 service members with PTSD, 57 (31%) met criteria for FMS and 48 (27%) had WP.  A separate cohort of 171 service members with PTSD identified 67 (37%) patients with FMS and 51 (30%) with WP.

Conclusion:  The prevalence of FMS and WP was markedly elevated in active duty military service members seeking treatment for PTSD when compared to a sample of active duty personnel screened just prior to deployment.  Further study may help answer questions regarding the intersection of FMS with PTSD and enable development of tailored therapies appropriate for US service members and veterans with PTSD, FMS and related disorders.

Disclosure:

B. Hildebrand,
None;

J. B. Higgs,
None;

D. Williamson,
None;

E. Foa,
None;

P. Resick,
None;

J. Mintz,
None;

A. Brundige,
None;

K. Kelly,
None;

A. Borah,
None;

S. Young-McCaughan,
None;

B. Litz,
None;

E. Hembree,
None;

A. Peterson,
None.

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