Effects of two years of COVID-19 pandemic on individuals with fibromyalgia.

Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic has caused prolonged stress, potentially exacerbating fibromyalgia (FM) symptoms. This study aimed to compare the health status of FM patients and healthy controls (HC) before and 2.5 years into the pandemic.

Methods: A cohort of FM patients and HC with pre-pandemic data completed an online survey in August 2022. The survey collected demographic information, symptom severity, and health perception using the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and other quality of life and physical activity questionnaires.

Results: The study included 32 FM patients and 21 HC, all female and predominantly white, with FM patients having higher BMI. Emotional responses to the pandemic were similar across both groups. Clinical measures in FM showed stability or improvement in 84% for FM severity scores, 66% for FIQ (quality of life), and 50% for pain intensity. Physical activity related to sports decreased in both FM and HC, while leisure activity increased in FM but decreased in HC. In FM insomnia correlated with pain intensity, clinical measures were associated with function and affective status, and changes in leisure activity inversely correlated with pain interference.

Conclusions: Contrary to expectations, FM patients' health remained stable or improved during the pandemic. This study is unique due to its pre-pandemic data and comparison to a control group, reducing potential bias. Findings suggest that FM patients may have developed resilience, or benefited from pandemic-related lifestyle changes, such as a slower pace of life. Alternatively, the observed trends could reflect a regression to the mean.