The DOI matches its Crossref record; 65 of the 66 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Fibromyalgia and obesity: the hidden link
Abstract
Fibromyalgia is a chronic disorder of uncertain etiology, characterized by widespread pain, muscle tenderness, and decreased pain threshold to pressure and other stimuli. Obesity is a well-known aggravating factor for certain rheumatologic conditions, such as knee osteoarthritis. Emerging evidences are exploring the link between obesity and other rheumatic diseases, such as fibromyalgia. Epidemiological data show that fibromyalgia patients have higher prevalence of obesity (40%) and overweight (30%) in multiple studies compared with healthy patients. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain "the hidden link", but at this time is not possible to ascertain whether obesity is cause or consequence of fibromyalgia. Among mechanisms proposed, there are the following: impaired physical activity, cognitive and sleep disturbances, psychiatric comorbidity and depression, dysfunction of thyroid gland, dysfunction of the GH/IGF-1 axis, impairment of the endogenous opioid system. In this article, we review the scientific evidence supporting a possible link between obesity and fibromyalgia, how obesity influences fibromyalgia symptoms and how fibromyalgia severity can be improved by weight loss. In addition, we analyze the possible mechanisms by which fibromyalgia and obesity interrelate.
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“a higher BMI impacts glucose metabolism and symptom severity in FMS,10,51,56”
From Pain and small fiber pathology in men with fibromyalgia syndrome (2024) · cites this paper as [51]
Citations
Cites
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Cited by
Sorted by citations
Physical activity and exercise for chronic pain in adults: an overview of Cochrane Reviews
Geneen, L. J., Moore, R. A., Clarke, C., Martin, D., Colvin, L. A., & Smith, B. H. (2017) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd011279.pub3 · Cited by 1,222
Physical activity and exercise for chronic pain in adults: an overview of Cochrane Reviews
Geneen, L. J., Moore, R. A., Clarke, C., Martin, D., Colvin, L. A., & Smith, B. H. (2017) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd011279.pub2 · Cited by 719
Psychological processing in chronic pain: a neural systems approach
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Fibromyalgia: A Critical and Comprehensive Review
Borchers, A. T., & Gershwin, M. E. (2015) · Clinical Reviews in Allergy & Immunology · doi:10.1007/s12016-015-8509-4 · Cited by 279
Obesity and risk of incident psoriatic arthritis in US women
Li, W., Han, J., & Qureshi, A. A. (2012) · Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases · doi:10.1136/annrheumdis-2011-201273 · Cited by 233
Metadata
- Authors
- Ursini, F., Naty, S., & Grembiale, R. D.
- Affiliations
- Magna Graecia University (IT)
- Corresponding author
- Ursini, Francesco
- Venue
- Rheumatology International
- Published
- 2011-04-08
- Volume
- 31
- Issue
- 11
- Pages
- 1403-1408
- ISSN
- 0172-8172 (ISSN-L)
- 1437-160X
- OpenAlex
- W1979035382
- Cited by
- 155
- References
- 66
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 13 · 2014: 24 · 2013: 9 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 1.76
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- www.springer.com/tdm (tdm)
- Locations
- Rheumatology International (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) (submittedVersion)
- Institutional Research Information System University of Ferrara (University of Ferrara) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Keywords
- fibromyalgia, obesity, overweight, weight loss, chronic widespread pain, sleep disorders, cognitive disorders, psychiatric comorbidity, depression, thyroid dysfunction, somatotropic axis, endogenous opioid system, pathogenesis
- MeSH terms
- Anxiety Disorders, Body Weight, Depression, Fibromyalgia, Health Status, Humans, Obesity, Weight Loss
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