The impact of weight gain on fibromyalgia

The fibromyalgia (FM) is a biopsychosocial disorder affecting between 2% and 5% of the population, which is characterised by generalised pain, fatigue, lack of sleep, lack of memory and impaired concentrationas well as strong association with depression and other mood disorders.

For Biological Medicinethe fibromyalgia is always accompanied by viral or bacterial infections, metabolic disturbances and especially disturbances of the mitochondria's ability to produce energy, heavy metal poisoning, acid pH, oxidative stress, etc...

A high body mass index (BMI)measured as weight in kilograms divided by height in metres squared, has been associated with an increased prevalence of musculoskeletal pain. widespread.

Being overweight or obese is associated with an increased risk of FM, especially among women with low levels of physical activity. Several studies have reported high rates of obesity in FM patients and have found that BMI is associated with pain, and fatigue. Weight loss in obese patients with fibromyalgia leads to significant reduction in pain, tender point counts and tenderness, and in some cases even to loss of fibromyalgia phenotype. These studies imply that BMI may be a central process factor for fibromyalgia.

Little is known about the relationship of obesity to other FM-related symptoms, such as symptoms of bipolar disorder, number and types of medications, comorbidities, stress, and history of abuse.

Obesity in fibromyalgia is associated with the same variables as in the general population, including lack of exercise, history of physical and sexual abuse, depression, medical comorbidities, hypothyroidism, number of musculoskeletal operations, and number of medications taken.

Studies of obesity in the general population show that it is associated with comorbidities, psychiatric pharmacotherapy, depression, poor physical function and sexual and physical abuse. Obesity predicts increased incidence of medical co-morbidities such as type 2 diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease, asthma, gall bladder disease, osteoarthritis, and chronic back pain.

And patients with fibromyalgia and obesity tend to accumulate other obesity-related comorbidities, such as depression.. The association between obesity and mental illness is complex and bidirectional, mediated by physical health factors secondary to obesity, coupled with social attitudes towards obese people and iatrogenic treatment factors associated with psychiatric pharmacotherapy.

Compared to fibromyalgia patients of normal weight, obese FM patients take more fibromyalgia medication, including SSRIs, other antidepressants and antipsychotic medications.

Researchers from the University of Utah recently published a study entitled 'Relationship between chronic pain and obesity', reviewing the link between these two diseases, which was published in Journal of Pain Research

It was reported that obesity involves several pain diagnoses including fibromyalgia, which, as we know, is characterised by chronic musculoskeletal pain. In addition, fibromyalgia is also associated with disabling fatigue, stiffness and numbness in certain parts of the body, painful response to pressure, headaches, unrefreshing sleep (poor sleep quality), anxiety or depression, and mood disturbances. The disease can affect the ability to perform simple daily tasks and compromise quality of life.

Since obesity can aggravate chronic pain, weight loss can be seen as a therapeutic strategy. Mounting evidence supports this rationale, including studies of women with fibromyalgia where it was found that weight loss improves the symptoms of the diseaseincluding generalised pain.

The researchers concluded that obesity and fibromyalgia are comorbidities that negatively impact each other, and suggest that the link between the two diseases is most likely mediated by several factors and mechanisms. The authors believe that weight loss in obese patients could be considered a relevant intervention for pain rehabilitation and improvement of patient quality of life.