ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

  • Meetings
    • ACR Convergence 2024
    • ACR Convergence 2023
    • 2023 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • ACR Convergence 2022
    • ACR Convergence 2021
    • ACR Convergence 2020
    • 2020 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting
    • 2018-2009 Meetings
    • Download Abstracts
  • Keyword Index
  • Advanced Search
  • Your Favorites
    • Favorites
    • Login
    • View and print all favorites
    • Clear all your favorites
  • ACR Meetings

Abstract Number: 1837

Validity of the Cognitive Index of the Symptom Severity Scale (SSS-Cog) in Assessing Cognitive Impairment in Fibromyalgia Patients

Odelia Elkana1, Amir Falcofsky1, Ran Shorer2, Tamar Bar-On Kalfon2, Roie Tzadok3 and Jacob N Ablin3, 1School of Behavioral Sciences, Tel Aviv-Jaffa Academic College, Jaffa, Israel, Tel Aviv, Israel, 2Institute of Rheumatology, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel, 3Internal Medicine H, Tel-Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel & Sackler School of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel

Meeting: 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Keywords: Cognitive dysfunction and fibromyalgia

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Session Information

Date: Monday, October 22, 2018

Title: 4M082 ACR Abstract: Fibromyalgia & Other Clinical Pain Syndromes (1834–1839)

Session Type: ACR Concurrent Abstract Session

Session Time: 2:30PM-4:00PM

Background/Purpose:

Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is a multi-symptom disorder, characterized by somatic and cognitive manifestations, such as impaired working memory, executive function and attention (1,2).

The updated criteria for diagnosis of FMS (2016) recognize cognitive symptoms as a valid feature of the disease (3). These criteria use the Widespread Pain Index (WPI), a patient – reported tool reflecting the degree of pain dispersion, as well as the Symptom Severity Scale (SSS), reflecting a sum of accompanying symptoms. The SSS itself includes a cognitive index score (SSS-Cog), focused on cognitive manifestations experienced by FMS patients (4,5,6).

Previous studies have shown inconsistency in correlating subjective and objective cognitive impairment in FMS patients (7,8). This study aims to check the validity of the SSS-Cog, by evaluating the correlation between patient–reported cognitive symptoms of FMS and a battery of computerized normalized cognitive tests.

Methods:

FMS patients were recruited at a specialized FMS clinic. Participants were over 18 and diagnosed with FMS according to the 2010/2011 ACR diagnostic criteria (n=50, 86% women, 7% men). Secondary FMS patients were excluded.
NeuroTrax™ computerized cognitive assessment battery was used for evaluation of cognitive function, in addition to filling up the Fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ), WPI and SSS.

Depressive symptoms, which may alter cognition, were assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)-II. Level of effort during cognitive testing was evaluated with the Test of Memory Malingering (TOMM).

A Spearman correlation coefficient was used to assess whether the SSS-Cog index correlated with performance on the computerized cognition tests. Further correlations were performed between the SSS-Cog and other questionnaires used in the study (WPI, FIQ, BDI-II).

Results:

The SSS-Cog results did not correlate with scores of the NeuroTrax™ cognitive assessment battery (rs= -.132, p= .361). Positive correlations were found between the SSS-Cog and the FIQ (rs= .438, p= .001), especially the pain measures utilized in it (VAS-pain, rs= .304, p= .032), as well as with the WPI (rs= .333, p= .018).
The lack of correlation between the SSS-Cog and objective cognitive performance persisted when excluding a subgroup of 8 low-effort participants with a TOMM score ≤45.
Age and BDI-II (depression) scores were also shown not to be confounding factors.

Conclusion:

There is a strong correlation between FMS patients’ subjective evaluations of cognitive impairment and self-measures of daily functioning, symptom intensity and experienced pain. However, a notable lack of correlation was found between patients’ self-reported cognitive impairment and objective cognitive scores, indicating that the SSS-cog does not reflect its self-proclaimed purpose – assessing cognitive impairment. These findings highlight the need for development of alternative tools in assessing cognitive impairment in FMS patients.


Disclosure: O. Elkana, None; A. Falcofsky, None; R. Shorer, None; T. Bar-On Kalfon, None; R. Tzadok, None; J. N. Ablin, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Elkana O, Falcofsky A, Shorer R, Bar-On Kalfon T, Tzadok R, Ablin JN. Validity of the Cognitive Index of the Symptom Severity Scale (SSS-Cog) in Assessing Cognitive Impairment in Fibromyalgia Patients [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2018; 70 (suppl 9). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/validity-of-the-cognitive-index-of-the-symptom-severity-scale-sss-cog-in-assessing-cognitive-impairment-in-fibromyalgia-patients/. Accessed .
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

« Back to 2018 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/validity-of-the-cognitive-index-of-the-symptom-severity-scale-sss-cog-in-assessing-cognitive-impairment-in-fibromyalgia-patients/

Advanced Search

Your Favorites

You can save and print a list of your favorite abstracts during your browser session by clicking the “Favorite” button at the bottom of any abstract. View your favorites »

All abstracts accepted to ACR Convergence are under media embargo once the ACR has notified presenters of their abstract’s acceptance. They may be presented at other meetings or published as manuscripts after this time but should not be discussed in non-scholarly venues or outlets. The following embargo policies are strictly enforced by the ACR.

Accepted abstracts are made available to the public online in advance of the meeting and are published in a special online supplement of our scientific journal, Arthritis & Rheumatology. Information contained in those abstracts may not be released until the abstracts appear online. In an exception to the media embargo, academic institutions, private organizations, and companies with products whose value may be influenced by information contained in an abstract may issue a press release to coincide with the availability of an ACR abstract on the ACR website. However, the ACR continues to require that information that goes beyond that contained in the abstract (e.g., discussion of the abstract done as part of editorial news coverage) is under media embargo until 10:00 AM ET on November 14, 2024. Journalists with access to embargoed information cannot release articles or editorial news coverage before this time. Editorial news coverage is considered original articles/videos developed by employed journalists to report facts, commentary, and subject matter expert quotes in a narrative form using a variety of sources (e.g., research, announcements, press releases, events, etc.).

Violation of this policy may result in the abstract being withdrawn from the meeting and other measures deemed appropriate. Authors are responsible for notifying colleagues, institutions, communications firms, and all other stakeholders related to the development or promotion of the abstract about this policy. If you have questions about the ACR abstract embargo policy, please contact ACR abstracts staff at [email protected].

Wiley

  • Online Journal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Permissions Policies
  • Cookie Preferences

© Copyright 2025 American College of Rheumatology