Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2009 , Vol 55 , Num 4

The Frequency of Fibromyalgia Syndrome in Patients with Hepatitis B and C Infections and Evaluation of Their Psychological Status

Feray Soyupek 1 ,Erdem İlgün 2 ,Gökçen Uslusoy Ay 1 ,Tekin Taş 3 ,Ali Adiloğlu 3
1 Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Anabilim Dalı, Isparta
2 Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Anabilim Dalı, Edirne
3 Süleyman Demirel Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Mikrobiyoloji Anabilim Dalı, Isparta, Türkiye

Objective: We aimed to investigate the frequency of fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) in patients with chronic hepatitis B or C infections and to determine their psychological status.
 

Materials and Methods: Patients with hepatitis B or C infections and healthy control subjects were enrolled into this study as hepatitis and control groups. The diagnosis of FS was based on the 1990 criteria of American College of Rheumatology. All participants were asked to fill out Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and questionaires, gathering information about medical history including presence of headache, sleep disturbance, paresthesias, diffuse pain, constipation, morning fatigue symptoms. 
 

Results: The mean age of the hepatitis and control groups were 50.37±16.46 and 48.90±13.54 years, respectively (p=0.637). Thirty-six patients had hepatitis B, while 17 had hepatitis C infection. FS was present in 41.5% and 4.54% of the patients in hepatitis and control groups, respectively (p<0.001). The presence of headache, morning fatigue, paresthesia and sleep disturbance symptoms in hepatitis group was more frequent than those of the control group. Additionally, mean Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory scores of the hepatitis group were higher than those of the control group (p<0.001). 
 

Conclusion: In patients with hepatitis B or C infection,  FS was frequently observed and the depression and anxiety levels were increased.

Keywords : Hepatitis B, hepatitis C, fibromyalgia syndrome, depression, anxiety