CoChat
Sign Up
Cited by 109Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ResearchMyofascial pain diagnosis and treatmentMusculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation

Fibromyalgia and obesity: A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis

D'Onghia, Martina, Ciaffi, Jacopo, Lisi, Lucia, Mancarella, Luana, Ricci, Susanna, Stefanelli, Nicola, Meliconi, Riccardo, Ursini, Francesco·2021·Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism
DOI 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2021.02.007
Open this paper in CoChat — free account

Abstract

Introduction Obesity has been associated with several complications, including musculoskeletal disorders. Aim of the present systematic review was to identify all available evidence on the relationship between fibromyalgia (FM) and obesity, including epidemiological association, impact of obesity on FM severity and effect of weight loss strategies on FM symptoms. Methods MedLine, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and Web of Science databases were searched up to September 2020 to identify eligible articles. Data from studies reporting the prevalence of obesity in FM patients were pooled using a random-effects model. Results After removal of duplicate records, 393 studies proceeded to review. A total of 41 articles were deemed eligible for inclusion in final synthesis. Quality assessment revealed that the overall risk of bias was high. The overall prevalence of obesity in FM was 35.7% (95% CI: 31.8 - 39.9%), with higher figures reported for USA. The majority of studies included demonstrated that obesity is associated with different domains of the disorder, including composite measures of activity, pain severity, tender point count, stiffness, fatigue, physical functioning/disability, sleep, cognitive dysfunction, and quality of life; the strength of correlation was weak on average. Inconsistent data were available regarding the correlation with depression and anxiety. Only few studies addressed the effect of therapeutic weight loss in FM, either by bariatric surgery, diet/exercise combination or behavioral weight loss, providing preliminary evidence for a potential benefit of weight loss in ameliorating FM symptoms. Conclusions Available data support a potential interplay between obesity and FM-related symptoms. Weight management should be encouraged in patients with FM.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2021.02.007

Cites

14 of 14 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

  • Weight loss could improve glucose metabolism and reduce pain and additional symptoms in patients with FMS.

    “suggesting that weight loss could improve glucose metabolism and reduce pain and additional symptoms in patients with FMS.10”

    From Pain and small fiber pathology in men with fibromyalgia syndrome (2024) · cites this paper as [10]

  • Higher BMI impacts glucose metabolism and symptom severity in FMS.

    “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 [10]

Cites

Flagged first, then by citations

Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
D'Onghia, M., Ciaffi, J., Lisi, L., Mancarella, L., Ricci, S., Stefanelli, N., Meliconi, R., & Ursini, F.
Affiliations
Istituto Ortopedico Rizzoli (IT)
Corresponding author
Ursini, Francesco
ORCID
Venue
Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2021-04
Volume
51
Issue
2
Pages
409-424
ISSN
0049-0172 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.semarthrit.2021.02.007
OpenAlex
W3134634075
Cited by
109
References
14
Citations by year
2026: 15 · 2025: 24 · 2024: 28 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 7
FWCI
3.16
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
Locations
  • Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Archivio istituzionale della ricerca (Alma Mater Studiorum Università di Bologna) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Cell Biology › Myofascial pain diagnosis and treatment
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
Keywords
fibromyalgia, obesity, obesity prevalence, disease severity, weight loss interventions, bariatric surgery, diet and exercise, behavioral weight loss, fatigue, sleep, quality of life, anxiety and depression
MeSH terms
Fibromyalgia, Humans, Obesity, Quality of Life, Weight Loss, Bariatric Surgery

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review