Arthritis & Rheumatism, Volume 63,
November 2011 Abstract Supplement
Abstracts of the American College of
Rheumatology/Association of Rheumatology Health Professionals
Annual Scientific Meeting
Chicago, Illinois November 4-9, 2011.
Alcohol Consumption and Symptom Severity in Patients with Fibromyalgia.
Oh, Terry H., Kim, Chul H., Luedtke, Connie, Thompson, Jeffery, Vincent, Ann
Background/Purpose:
To examine the associations between alcohol consumption and symptom severity in patients seen in a fibromyalgia treatment program.
Methods:
We assessed alcohol consumption in 946 patients with fibromyalgia based on a self-reported alcohol history taken as a part of a comprehensive social history. The subjects were divided into 4 groups according to alcohol consumption by the reported number of drinks per week: none, low (<=3/week), moderate (>3–7/week) and heavy (>7/week). Multiple linear regression models were used to compare numeric rating of pain scores, number of tender points, and scores on the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and the Short Form-36 Health Status Questionnaire (SF-36) among the 4 groups while adjusting for potential confounder.
Results:
The majority, 546 (57.7%), of the subjects reported no alcohol intake. The alcohol consumption of the remaining groups was distributed as follows: low in 338 (35.7%), moderate in 31 (3.3%) and heavy in 31 (3.3%), respectively. Employment status (p<0.001), education level (p=0.009) and BMI (p=0.002) differed significantly across the 4 groups with more employment among low and moderate drinkers, higher level of education in moderate drinkers, and lower BMI in moderate and heavy drinkers.
After adjusting for age, employment status, education level and BMI, we found significant group differences in number of tender points (p=0.01), FIQ total score (p=0.004), FIQ subscales of physical function (p<.001), work missed (p=0.002), job ability (p=0.009), and pain (p<.001), as well as SF-36 subscales of physical functioning (p<.001), pain index (p<.001), general health perception (p=0.009), social functioning (p=0.008) and physical component summary (p<0.001) with generally lower dysfunction and higher levels of quality of life for those with low and moderate alcohol consumption.
Post hoc analysis among the 4 groups showed that low and moderate drinkers had significantly better scores than none drinkers on the FIQ physical function and job ability scales and better SF-36 scores on physical functioning, pain index and physical component summary scales. Also, low drinkers had better scores on the FIQ work missed and SF-36 general health perceptions and social functioning scales. Moderate drinkers had better FIQ total scores and heavy drinkers had better scores on the SF-36 physical functioning scale than none drinkers. Furthermore, moderate drinkers had significantly lower FIQ pain subscale scores than all other groups and a lower number of tender points than low drinkers.
Conclusion:
In patients with fibromyalgia, low and moderate alcohol consumption appears to be associated with lower levels of dysfunction and higher levels of quality of life when compared to none drinkers. Furthermore, moderate alcohol consumption was associated with better FIQ pain scale score when compared to none, low and heavy alcohol consumption.
To cite this abstract, please use the following information:
Oh, Terry H., Kim, Chul H., Luedtke, Connie, Thompson, Jeffery, Vincent, Ann; Alcohol Consumption and Symptom Severity in Patients with Fibromyalgia. [abstract]. Arthritis Rheum 2011;63 Suppl 10 :1909
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