Biological research for nursing
-
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic noncommunicable disorder characterized by a constellation of symptoms that include fatigue, depression and chronic pain. FM affects 2%-8% of the U. S. population, 2% of the global population, with 61%-90% of FM diagnoses attributed to women. ⋯ Results revealed six metabolites (6-deoxy-hexose; pantothenic acid; ergothioneine; l-carnitine; n-acetylserotonin; butyrobetaine) and their associated metabolic pathways such as carnitine synthesis, lipid oxidation, tryptophan metabolism, beta-alanine metabolism and pantothenic and Coenzyme-A biosynthesis that were either positively or inversely related to pain severity, pain interference, or both. The preliminary data presented suggest that metabolites representing energy, amino acid, or lipid classification may be associated with pain symptom severity and interference in women with FM. Future work will confirm these findings in a large, comparative cohort, targeting metabolites and metabolite pathways to better understand the relationships of metabolites and symptomology.