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Open AccessArticle
New-Onset Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Following COVID-19 Infection Fulfils the Fibromyalgia Clinical Syndrome Criteria: A Preliminary Study
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Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, University of Leeds, Leeds LS7 4SA, UK
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Academic Unit of Palliative Care, Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9NL, UK
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School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK
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NIHR Leeds Biomedical Research Centre, Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, Leeds LS7 4SA, UK
5
COVID Rehabilitation Service, Leeds Community Healthcare NHS Trust, Leeds LS11 0DL, UK
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Biomedicines 2024, 12(9), 1940; https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12091940 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 14 July 2024
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Revised: 17 August 2024
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Accepted: 20 August 2024
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Published: 23 August 2024
Abstract
New-onset chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain (>3 months duration) is a common symptom of post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS). This study aimed to characterise new-onset chronic MSK pain in patients with PCS and its overlap with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS). We enrolled patients with new-onset chronic MSK pain post-COVID-19 and assessed the nature of the pain and associated symptoms using the C19-YRS (Yorkshire Rehabilitation Scale). The FMS assessment was conducted as part of a standard clinical examination using the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) 2010 criteria: (1) Widespread Pain Index (WPI) ≥ 7 and symptoms severity (SS) score ≥ 5, or WPI between 3 and 6 and SS score ≥ 9, (2) symptoms consistent for at least 3 months, and (3) no alternative diagnosis. Of the eighteen patients (average age 49.6 (SD 11.8) years; BMI 31.7 (SD 8.6)), twelve were female. The average symptom duration was 27.9 (SD 6.97) months post-infection. Thirteen patients (72.2%) met the FMS criteria, with an average WPI score of 8.8 and an average SS score of 8.2, indicating a high level of pain and significant quality of life impacts. These findings support the hypothesis that FMS may develop as a long-term sequela of a viral infection, underscoring the need for further research into post-viral long-term conditions.
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MDPI and ACS Style
Khoja, O.; Mulvey, M.; Astill, S.; Tan, A.L.; Sivan, M.
New-Onset Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Following COVID-19 Infection Fulfils the Fibromyalgia Clinical Syndrome Criteria: A Preliminary Study. Biomedicines 2024, 12, 1940.
https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12091940
AMA Style
Khoja O, Mulvey M, Astill S, Tan AL, Sivan M.
New-Onset Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Following COVID-19 Infection Fulfils the Fibromyalgia Clinical Syndrome Criteria: A Preliminary Study. Biomedicines. 2024; 12(9):1940.
https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12091940
Chicago/Turabian Style
Khoja, Omar, Matthew Mulvey, Sarah Astill, Ai Lyn Tan, and Manoj Sivan.
2024. "New-Onset Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Following COVID-19 Infection Fulfils the Fibromyalgia Clinical Syndrome Criteria: A Preliminary Study" Biomedicines 12, no. 9: 1940.
https://doi.org/10.3390/biomedicines12091940
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