SIR, We appreciate the comment of Prof. Ernst [1]. Mayhew and Ernst [2] summarized the results of a qualitative analysis of five controlled trials with acupuncture in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) as follows: ‘Their methodological quality was mixed and frequently low. Three RCTs suggested positive but mostly short-lived effects and two yielded negative results. There was no significant difference...

PURPOSE Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a neurosensory disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain. Typically persistent fatigue, depression, limb stiffness, non-refreshing sleep and cognitive deficiencies are also experienced. Oral symptoms and pain are common, requiring adaptations in patient management strategies and treatment interventions. Appropriate dental hygiene care of pa...

In this study, we aimed to compare osteoporosis (OP)-related bone mineral density, and bone turnover (markers of formation, and resorption) between patients with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) and degenerative disc disease, and to determine the relationship of these parameters with clinical, functional and emotional evaluation outcomes in FMS. Fifty premenopausal women with FMS and 50 premenopausa...

BACKGROUND Fibromyalgia, a potentially debilitating chronic pain syndrome of unknown etiology, may be characterized by inflammation. In this study, we investigated the relation of FMS to serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in a large population of adults (18+) and investigated the influence of other factors on this relationship, including BMI, comorbidities, as well as mood and sleep disturbance. ...

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) patients show altered connectivity with the network maintaining ongoing resting brain activity, known as the default mode network (DMN). The connectivity patterns of DMN with the rest of the brain in FMS patients are poorly understood. This study employed seed-based functional connectivity analysis to investigate resting-state functional connectivity with DMN structu...

BACKGROUND Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic pain syndrome of unknown etiology. There is increasing evidence for small nerve fiber impairment in a subgroup of patients with FMS. We investigated whether skin cytokine and delta opioid receptor (DOR) gene expression in FMS patients differs from controls as one potential contributor to small nerve fiber sensitization. METHODS We investigat...

OBJECTIVES Fibromyalgia (FMS) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) are debilitating syndromes that are often associated with impaired cellular energy metabolism. As D-ribose has been shown to increase cellular energy synthesis in heart and skeletal muscle, this open-label uncontrolled pilot study was done to evaluate if D-ribose could improve symptoms in fibromyalgia and/or chronic fatigue syndro...

Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a common disorder, characterized by diffuse pain and tenderness, stiffness, fatigue, affective disorders and significant sleep pathology. A new set of diagnostic criteria have been developed which should make it easier for a busy clinician to diagnose the condition. US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved medications for the treatment of FMS have, for the m...

INTRODUCTION Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), lymphocytic enteritis (LE) and fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) are three common disorders. Since a gluten-free diet (GFD) has been shown to be helpful in LE, we aimed to assess its effect in a series of LE patients also diagnosed with IBS and FMS. METHODS The study sample comprised 97 IBS plus FMS adult females, of whom 58 had LE (Marsh stage 1), and 3...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to examine the involvement of oxidative and antioxidative parameters and to evaluate the relation between fibromyalgia (FMS) and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). PATIENTS AND METHODS Oxidative stress was determined by measuring the levels of malondialdehyde (MDA) and antioxidative parameters (superoxide dismutase [SOD], catalase [CAT], and glutathion...