Vestibular findings in fibromyalgia patients

Abstract

Introduction: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a non-inflammatory musculoskeletal chronic syndrome, whose etiology is unknown, characterized by a diffuse pain, increase in palpation sensitivity and such symptoms as tiredness, insomnia, anxiety, depression, cold intolerance and otologic complaints. Objective: Evaluate the vestibular behavior in fibromyalgia patients. Method: A retrospective transversal study was performed. 25 patients aged between 26 and 65 (average age - 52.2 and standard deviation - 10.3) were evaluated and submitted to the following procedures: anamnesis, otorhinolaryngologic and vestibular evaluation by way of vector electronystamography. Results: a) The most evident otoneurologic symptoms were: difficulty or pain when moving the neck and pain was spread to an arm or shoulder (92.0%) in each, dizziness (84.0%) and headache (76.0%). The different clinical symptoms mostly reported were: depression (80.0%), anxiety (76.0%) and insomnia (72.0%); b) vestibular examination showed an alteration in 12 patients (48.0%) in the caloric test; c) an alteration in the peripheral vestibular system prevailed, and d) deficient peripheral vestibular disorders were prevalent. Conclusion: This study enabled the importance of the labyrinthic test to be verified, thus emphasizing that this kind of people must be studied better, since a range of rheumatologic diseases can cause severe vestibular changes as a result of their manifestations and impairment areas.

Keywords

• fibromyalgia
• dizziness
• vestibular function tests
• electronystagmography.