Abstract:

Objectives: Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS) is a multisystem disease characterized by chronic diffused musculoskeletal pain, accompanied by symptoms such as fatigue, depression, sleep disorder, and anxiety. The aim of the study is to evaluate the effect of acupuncture on pain, depression and quality of life in women with FMS in addition to the standard treatment. Materials and Methods: 55 women patients aging between 18-65 years and diagnosed as having FMS according to ACR criteria (55 female; average age 40.65/years, average disease duration 2.69/ years) were included in this prospective controlled study. The patients were assigned to either acupuncture or control group. Both groups continued their ongoing medical treatment. The acupuncture group received acupuncture treatment 1 session/week, each session lasted 20 minutes for 10 weeks in addition to their current medical treatment (a total of 10 sessions). The outcome measures were pain intensity with Visual Analogic Scale (VAS), quality of life with Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), depression level with Beck Depression Scale (BDI) at baseline and after the treatment. Results: Comparison of the difference over time between the groups revealed that improvement in VAS, FIQ and count of tender points was significantly higher in the acupuncture group compared to the control group (p=0.001, p=0.017, p=0.016, respectively). The difference in BDI over time did not show any significant difference between the groups (p=0.076). Conclusion: The study showed that acupuncture had positive results on pain, quality of life and tender points in women with FMS. In addition to medical treatment, acupuncture may be preferred to contribute to decreasing FMS symptoms.

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