The following is a summary of “A two-component model of hair cortisol concentration in fibromyalgia: Independent effects of pain chronicity and severity,” published in the December 2023 issue of Pain by Paso et al.
Researchers started a retrospective study, venturing to untangle the knotty relationship between fibromyalgia (FM) pain and the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis.
They analyzed the impact of disease chronicity and severity on cortisol levels involving 47 female FM patients and 36 healthy women (HW). Collected data included hair cortisol concentrations (HCC) and clinical evaluations, encompassing pain severity, FM’s impact on daily activities, depression, anxiety, fatigue, and insomnia.
The results showed disease chronicity had a negative effect, and symptom severity had a positive effect as independent predictors of HCC. Participants with shorter disease duration exhibited higher HCC compared to those with longer duration and healthy individuals. Additionally, higher symptom severity in patients correlated with elevated HCC compared to those with lower clinical severity and healthy participants. Disease chronicity in fibromyalgia was linked to a decrease in HCC, while clinical severity was associated with an increase.
Investigators concluded that the HPA axis was in disarray within fibromyalgia, potentially contributing to the chronic pain experience.
Source: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ejp.2223
