• Ebru Umay, Ibrahim Gundogdu, and Erhan Arif Ozturk.
• Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Ankara Diskapi Yildirim Beyazit Training and Research Hospital, University of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey. ebruumay@gmail.com.
• Ir J Med Sci. 2020 May 1; 189 (2): 749-756.

BackgroundThe main somatic symptoms of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) are chronic musculoskeletal pain, stiffness, and fatigue, all of which are related to the muscle system and its functioning.AimsThe aim of this study was to evaluate whether the asymptomatic upper and lower extremity muscles evaluated using ultrasonography (US) were different from healthy controls in both newly diagnosed and established FMS and to assess whether muscle measurements were related to fatigue and disease severity, as well as quality of life.MethodsThis study was conducted on 152 subjects (102 patients and 50 healthy controls) as a cross-sectional controlled trial. Real-time imaging of cross-sectional thickness (CST) (for deltoid, biceps brachii, triceps brachii, forearm flexor, tibialis anterior, and gastrocnemius medialis), and cross-sectional areas (CSAs) (quadriceps femoris (QF)) measurements were performed using US. Fatigue and disease severity as well as quality of life scales were given to all participants.ResultsIn both patient groups, decreased QF muscle CSA was significantly correlated with increased fatigue severity and decreased overall quality of life and energy levels. Moreover, in patients with established disease, there was a significant correlation between the decrease in QF muscle CSA and increased social isolation and between the decrease in biceps brachii muscle CST and increased fatigue severity.ConclusionsWhether in newly diagnosed or established disease, muscle measurement values and quality of life parameters were significantly decreased in patients with FMS compared with healthy controls.

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