The relation of chronic idiopathic urticaria with Fibromyalgia, sleep disturbance and anxiety

Aim: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) are closely related due to peripheral neurogenic inflammation (neuropeptide secretion), immune dysfunction, and somatic complaints such as fatigue, pain, anxiety, and sleep disturbance. This study aimed to reveal the relationship of CIU with FMS, sleep disturbance and anxiety. Materials and Methods: A total of 51 patients with CIU aged 18–64 years (36.2±10.4) and 45 sex- and age-matched healthy controls were included. Urticaria activity score (UAS) was assessed for the severity of urticaria. The 2010 American College of Rheumatology classification criteria were used for FMS diagnosis. The participants were evaluated with visual analog scale (VAS), fibromyalgia impact questionnaire (FIQ), Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), and Beck anxiety inventory (BAI). Results: The presence of FMS and body mass index (BMI) were significantly higher in the urticaria group compared with the control group. The mean FIQ and UAS of the urticaria group were 47.0 ± 22.1 and 1.3 ± 0.9, respectively. UAS was positively correlated with FIQ, PSQI, BAI and VAS (rho=0.411 p=0.004; rho=0.310 p=0.034; rho=0.419 p=0.004; rho=0.414 p=0.004; respectively). The presence of FMS was found to be significantly associated with high BMI (p = 0.04). Conclusions: The prevalence of FMS was higher in patients with CIU than control group. Also, FMS was more severe, general pain and fatigue, sleep disturbance and anxiety were higher in patients with high urticarial activity