EVALUATION OF RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PAIN SCORE AND SERUM VITAMIN B12 AND FOLATE LEVELS IN FIBROMYALGIA PATIENTS

Aim: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a common rheumatologic disorder which is characterized by chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain and several additional symptoms including morning stiffness, fatigue, sleep disorder, low pain threshold, cognitive dysfunction, anxiety and depressive episodes. Folate and vitamin B12 are two metabolically and clinically related vitamins that share some important functions related to the one-carbon metabolism and related diseases. Studies have revealed that vitamin B12 and folate are associated with pain and pain-related disorders. The aim of this study was to compare serum vitamin B12 and folate levels between FMS patient group and the control group and to present a new evidence of pathogenesis FMS disease. Material and Methods: 46 female FMS outpatients and 46 healthy individuals were enrolled in the study. Clinical information and biochemical markers including vitamin B12, folate, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) and visual analogue scale (VAS) scores were obtained from the patients’ medical files. Results: There were no significant differences in vitamin B12, folate and ESR levels between the two groups (p >0.05). Serum CRP levels was significantly increased in FMS group (p =0.027). There was no correlation between VAS scores and biochemical markers in patients group. Conclusions: The results of this study have indicated that vitamin B12 and folate levels are not involved in the pathogenesis of FMS. No relevant correlations between the perception of pain and one carbon metabolism biomarkers were observed in FMS patients