Three-Quarters of Persons in the US Population Reporting a Clinical Diagnosis of Fibromyalgia Do Not Satisfy Fibromyalgia Criteria: The 2012 National Health Interview Survey
Open accessAbstract
OBJECTIVES: Although fibromyalgia criteria have been in effect for decades, little is known about how the fibromyalgia diagnosis is applied and understood by clinicians and patients. We used the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) to determine the prevalence of self-reported clinician diagnosed fibromyalgia and then compared demographics, symptoms, disability and medical utilization measures of persons with a clinical diagnosis of fibromyalgia that did not meet diagnostic criteria (false-positive or prior [F/P] fibromyalgia) to persons with and without criteria-positive fibromyalgia. METHODS: The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) collected information about both clinical diagnosis and symptoms of fibromyalgia that was appropriately weighted to represent 225,726,257 US adults. Surrogate NHIS diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia were developed based on the level of polysymptomatic distress (PSD) as characterized in the 2011 modified American College of Rheumatology criteria (ACR) for fibromyalgia. Persons with F/P fibromyalgia were compared with persons who do not have fibromyalgia and those meeting surrogate NHIS fibromyalgia criteria. RESULTS: Of the 1.78% of persons reporting a clinical diagnosis, 73.5% did not meet NHIS fibromyalgia criteria. The prevalence of F/P fibromyalgia is 1.3%. F/P fibromyalgia is associated with a mild degree of polysymptomatic distress (NHIS PSD score 6.2) and characterized by frequent but not widespread pain and insomnia. Measures of work disability and medical utilization in F/P fibromyalgia were equal to that seen with NHIS criteria positive fibromyalgia and were 6-7x greater in F/P fibromyalgia than in non-fibromyalgia persons. F/P fibromyalgia was best predicted by being female (Odds Ratio [OR] 8.81), married (OR 3.27), and white (OR 1.96). In contrast, being a white, married woman was only modestly predictive of NHIS (criteria positive) fibromyalgia (OR 2.1). CONCLUSIONS: The majority of clinically diagnosed fibromyalgia cases in the US do not reach levels of severity necessary and sufficient for diagnosis. The clinical diagnosis of fibromyalgia is disproportionally dependent on demographic and social factors rather than the symptoms themselves. Diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia appear to be used as a vague guide by clinicians and patients, and allow for substantial diagnostic expansion of fibromyalgia.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
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?
The results of that study may not be generalizable to patients with fibromyalgia.
“means that the results of that study may not be generalizable to patients with fibromyalgia.86”
From Does work have to be so painful? A review of the literature examining the effects of fibromyalgia on the working experience from the patient perspective (2020) · cites this paper as [86]
The Discussion (page unavailable) finds that people meeting fibromyalgia criteria and people reporting a clinical diagnosis are largely different groups, which supports a concern about applying findings across those groups. It does not assess the generalizability of the unspecified study referred to as “that study.” (LLM, conf=0.76)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredA recent study suggested that as few as 25% of patients who self-identify as having fibromyalgia actually meet the clinical criteria for diagnosis.
“Given the results of a recent study that suggested that as few as 25% of patients who self-identify as having fibromyalgia actually meet the clinical criteria for diagnosis”
From Does work have to be so painful? A review of the literature examining the effects of fibromyalgia on the working experience from the patient perspective (2020) · cites this paper as [86]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
2 retracted
Anticonvulsants for fibromyalgia
Üçeyler, N., Sommer, C., Walitt, B. T., & Häuser, W. (2013) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd010782 · Cited by 88 · see citing works
Self-citationRetractedAnticonvulsants for fibromyalgia
Üçeyler, N., Sommer, C., Walitt, B. T., & Häuser, W. (2017) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd010782.pub2 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Self-citationRetractedThe american college of rheumatology 1990 criteria for the classification of fibromyalgia
Wolfe, F., Smythe, H. A., Yunus, M. B., Bennett, R. M., Bombardier, C., Goldenberg, D. L., Tugwell, P., Campbell, S. M., Abeles, M., Clark, P., et al. (1990) · Arthritis & Rheumatism · doi:10.1002/art.1780330203 · Cited by 9,563 · see citing works
Self-citationWolfe, F., Clauw, D. J., Fitzcharles, M., Goldenberg, D. L., Katz, R. S., Mease, P., Russell, A. S., Russell, I. J., Winfield, J. B., & Yunus, M. B. (2010) · Arthritis Care & Research · doi:10.1002/acr.20140 · Cited by 3,952 · see citing works
Self-citationPsychosomatic medicine in Germany: more timely than ever
Zipfel, S., Herzog, W., Kruse, J., & Henningsen, P. (2016) · Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics · doi:10.1159/000447701 · Cited by 2,323 · see citing works
WOLFE, F., CLAUW, D. J., FITZCHARLES, M.-A., GOLDENBERG, D. L., HÄUSER, W., KATZ, R. S., MEASE, P., RUSSELL, A. S., RUSSELL, I. J., & WINFIELD, J. B. (2011) · The Journal of Rheumatology · doi:10.3899/jrheum.100594 · Cited by 1,499 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Shifting Engines of Medicalization
Conrad, P. (2005) · Journal of Health and Social Behavior · doi:10.1177/002214650504600102 · Cited by 1,074 · see citing works
An internet survey of 2,596 people with fibromyalgia
Bennett, R. M., Jones, J., Turk, D. C., Russell, I. J., & Matallana, L. (2007) · BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders · doi:10.1186/1471-2474-8-27 · Cited by 865 · see citing works
Wolfe, F., Brähler, E., Hinz, A., & Häuser, W. (2013) · Arthritis Care & Research · doi:10.1002/acr.21931 · Cited by 443 · see citing works
Self-citationGupta, A., Silman, A. J., Ray, D. W., Morriss, R. K., Dickens, C. M., Macfarlane, G. J., Chiu, Y. H., Nicholl, B. I., & McBeth, J. (2006) · Lara D. Veeken · doi:10.1093/rheumatology/kel363 · Cited by 361 · see citing works
Wolfe, F. (1997) · Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases · doi:10.1136/ard.56.4.268 · Cited by 334 · see citing works
Self-citationTwo contributions to understanding of the "fibrositis" syndrome.
SMYTHE, H. A., & Moldofsky, H. (1977) · PubMed · Cited by 314 · see citing works
The Prevalence and Characteristics of Fibromyalgia in the 2012 National Health Interview Survey
Walitt, B., Nahin, R., Katz, R., Bergman, M., & Wolfe, F. (2015) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0138024 · Cited by 274 · see citing works
Self-citationFibromyalgia Syndrome Module at OMERACT 9: Domain Construct
MEASE, P., ARNOLD, L. M., CHOY, E. H., CLAUW, D. J., CROFFORD, L. J., GLASS, J. M., MARTIN, S. A., MOREA, J., SIMON, L., STRAND, C. V., et al. (2009) · The Journal of Rheumatology · doi:10.3899/jrheum.090367 · Cited by 256 · see citing works
Review of pharmacological therapies in fibromyalgia syndrome
Häuser, W., Walitt, B., Fitzcharles, M.-A., & Sommer, C. (2014) · Arthritis Research & Therapy · doi:10.1186/ar4441 · Cited by 188 · see citing works
Self-citationSerotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) for fibromyalgia syndrome
Häuser, W., Urrútia, G., Tort, S., Üçeyler, N., & Walitt, B. T. (2013) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd010292 · Cited by 164 · see citing works
Self-citationGarfield, S. R. (1970) · Scientific American · doi:10.1038/scientificamerican0470-15 · Cited by 162 · see citing works
The Longitudinal Outcome of Fibromyalgia: A Study of 1555 Patients
WALITT, B., FITZCHARLES, M.-A., HASSETT, A. L., KATZ, R. S., HÄUSER, W., & WOLFE, F. (2011) · The Journal of Rheumatology · doi:10.3899/jrheum.110026 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
Self-citationWhat do tender points measure? Influence of distress on 4 measures of tenderness.
Petzke, F. W., Gracely, R. H., Park, K. M., Ambrose, K., & Clauw, D. J. (2003) · PubMed · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Estimating the costs of medicalization
Conrad, P., Mackie, T. I., & Mehrotra, A. (2010) · Social Science & Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2010.02.019 · Cited by 134 · see citing works
Mortality in fibromyalgia: A study of 8,186 patients over thirty‐five years
Wolfe, F., Hassett, A. L., Walitt, B. T., & Michaud, K. D. (2010) · Arthritis Care & Research · doi:10.1002/acr.20301 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Self-citationWolfe, F., Walitt, B. T., Rasker, J. J., Katz, R. S., & Häuser, W. (2015) · The Journal of Rheumatology · doi:10.3899/jrheum.141519 · Cited by 113 · see citing works
Self-citationSelective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for fibromyalgia syndrome
Walitt, B. T., Urrútia, G., Nishishinya, M. B., Cantrell, S. E., & Häuser, W. (2015) · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · doi:10.1002/14651858.cd011735 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
Self-citationFibromyalgia: Disease Synopsis, Medication Cost Effectiveness and Economic Burden
Skaer, T. L. (2014) · PharmacoEconomics · doi:10.1007/s40273-014-0137-y · Cited by 91 · see citing works
An Epidemiologic Internet Survey of Fibromyalgia and Chronic Pain in Japan
Nakamura, I., Nishioka, K., Usui, C., Osada, K., Ichibayashi, H., Ishida, M., Turk, D. C., Matsumoto, Y., & Nishioka, K. (2014) · Arthritis Care & Research · doi:10.1002/acr.22277 · Cited by 70 · see citing works
The end of professional dominance
Füredi, F. (2006) · Society · doi:10.1007/bf02698479 · Cited by 69 · see citing works
Disease mongering and drug marketing
Wolinsky, H. (2005) · EMBO Reports · doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400476 · Cited by 60 · see citing works
Repetitive Stress Injury: Diagnosis or Self-Fulfilling Prophecy?*
Szabo, R. M., & King, K. J. (2000) · Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery · doi:10.2106/00004623-200009000-00012 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Robinson, R. L., Kroenke, K., Williams, D. A., Mease, P. J., Chen, Y., Faries, D. E., Peng, X., Hann, D. M., Wohlreich, M. M., & McCarberg, B. H. (2013) · Pain Medicine · doi:10.1111/pme.12168 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for fibromyalgia syndrome
Walitt, B. T., Urrútia, G., Nishishinya, M. B., Cantrell, S. E., & Häuser, W. (2015) · Sao Paulo Medical Journal · doi:10.1590/1516-3180.20151335t1 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Self-citation
Flagged first, then by citations
1 of the 31 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- [2]Walitt B, Nahin, R., Katz R., Bergman M., Wolfe F. The Prevalence and Characteristics of Fibromyalgia in the 2012 National Health Interview Survey. 2015. PMC4575027 26379048
- [20]Walitt B, Nahin RL, Katz RS, Bergman M, Wolfe F. The Prevalence and Characteristics of Fibromyalgia in the 2012 National Health Interview Survey. PloS One. 2015. PMC4575027 26379048
Cited by
Sorted by citations
2016 revisions to the 2010/2011 fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria
Wolfe, F., Clauw, D. J., Fitzcharles, M.-A., Goldenberg, D. L., Häuser, W., Katz, R. L., Mease, P. J., Russell, A. S., Russell, I. J., & Walitt, B. (2016) · Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism · doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2016.08.012 · Cited by 2,232 · see citing works
Self-citationNociplastic pain: towards an understanding of prevalent pain conditions
Fitzcharles, M.-A., Cohen, S. P., Clauw, D. J., Littlejohn, G., Usui, C., & Häuser, W. (2021) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(21)00392-5 · Cited by 1,253 · see citing works
Fibromyalgia diagnosis and biased assessment: Sex, prevalence and bias
Wolfe, F., Walitt, B., Perrot, S., Rasker, J. J., & Häuser, W. (2018) · PLOS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0203755 · Cited by 346 · see citing works
Self-citationDiagnostic Criteria for Fibromyalgia: Critical Review and Future Perspectives
Galvez-Sánchez, C. M., & Reyes del Paso, G. A. (2020) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm9041219 · Cited by 241 · see citing works
Altered microbiome composition in individuals with fibromyalgia
Minerbi, A., Gonzalez, E., Brereton, N. J. B., Anjarkouchian, A., Dewar, K., Fitzcharles, M.-A., Chevalier, S., & Shir, Y. (2019) · Pain · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001640 · Cited by 220 · see citing works
The prevalence and impact of comorbid fibromyalgia in inflammatory arthritis
Zhao, S. S., Duffield, S. J., & Goodson, N. J. (2019) · Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology · doi:10.1016/j.berh.2019.06.005 · Cited by 153 · see citing works
Creed, F. (2020) · Pain · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001819 · Cited by 135 · see citing works
Arout, C. A., Sofuoglu, M., Bastian, L. A., & Rosenheck, R. A. (2018) · Journal of Women s Health · doi:10.1089/jwh.2017.6622 · Cited by 122 · see citing works
Wolfe, F., Schmukler, J., Jamal, S. M., Castrejón, I., Gibson, K., Srinivasan, S., Häuser, W., & Pincus, T. (2019) · Arthritis Care & Research · doi:10.1002/acr.23731 · Cited by 68 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Problematic Nature of Fibromyalgia Diagnosis in the Community
Srinivasan, S., Maloney, E., Wright, B., Kennedy, M. G., Kallail, K. J., Rasker, J. J., Häuser, W., & Wolfe, F. (2019) · ACR Open Rheumatology · doi:10.1002/acr2.1006 · Cited by 63 · see citing works
Self-citationHäuser, W., Brähler, E., Ablin, J. N., & Wolfe, F. (2020) · Arthritis Care & Research · doi:10.1002/acr.24202 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
Self-citationA Comparative Evaluation of the 2011 and 2016 Criteria for Fibromyalgia
Ablin, J. N., & Wolfe, F. (2017) · The Journal of Rheumatology · doi:10.3899/jrheum.170095 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Self-citationHaider, S., Janowski, A. J., Lesnak, J. B., Hayashi, K., Dailey, D. L., Chimenti, R. L., Frey‐Law, L., Sluka, K. A., & Berardi, G. (2022) · Pain · doi:10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002711 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
The Evolution of Fibromyalgia, Its Concepts, and Criteria
Wolfe, F., & Rasker, J. J. (2021) · Cureus · doi:10.7759/cureus.20010 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Self-citationThe Search for Biomarkers in Fibromyalgia
Hackshaw, K. V. (2021) · Diagnostics · doi:10.3390/diagnostics11020156 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
Bernardy, K., Klose, P., Welsch, P., & Häuser, W. (2019) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1002/ejp.1284 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Viceconti, A., Geri, T., Luca, S. D., Maselli, F., Rossettini, G., Sulli, A., Schenone, A. E., & Testa, M. (2021) · Joint Bone Spine · doi:10.1016/j.jbspin.2021.105153 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Wylezinski, L. S., Gray, J. D., Polk, J. B., Harmata, A. J., & Spurlock, C. F. (2019) · Journal of Clinical Medicine · doi:10.3390/jcm8040493 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Challenges in Fibromyalgia Diagnosis: From Meaning of Symptoms to Fibromyalgia Labeling
Bidari, A., Parsa, B. G., & Ghalehbaghi, B. (2018) · The Korean Journal of Pain · doi:10.3344/kjp.2018.31.3.147 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Monden, R., Rosmalen, J. G. M., Wardenaar, K. J., & Creed, F. (2022) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291720001774 · Cited by 39 · see citing works
Kendler, K. S., Rosmalen, J. G. M., Ohlsson, H., Sundquist, J., & Sundquist, K. (2023) · Psychological Medicine · doi:10.1017/s0033291722000526 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Nociplastic pain concept, a mechanistic basis for pragmatic approach to fibromyalgia
Bidari, A., & Ghavidel‐Parsa, B. (2022) · Clinical Rheumatology · doi:10.1007/s10067-022-06229-5 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
The Accuracy of a Fibromyalgia Diagnosis in General Practice
Gittins, R., Howard, M. E., Ghodke, A., Ives, T. J., & Chelminski, P. R. (2017) · Pain Medicine · doi:10.1093/pm/pnx155 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Sleurs, D., Tebeka, S., Scognamiglio, C., Dubertret, C., & Strat, Y. L. (2020) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1002/ejp.1585 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Kelley, M. A., & Hackshaw, K. V. (2021) · Diagnostics · doi:10.3390/diagnostics11030536 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Assessing our approach to diagnosing Fibromyalgia
Hackshaw, K. V. (2020) · Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics · doi:10.1080/14737159.2020.1858054 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Fibromyalgia with Gabapentin and Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine: A Pilot Study
Marske, C., Bernard, N., Palacios, A., Wheeler, C., Preiss, B., Brown, M., Bhattacharya, S., & Klapstein, G. J. (2018) · The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine · doi:10.1089/acm.2017.0178 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Mukhida, K., Carroll, W., & Arseneault, R. (2020) · Canadian Journal of Pain · doi:10.1080/24740527.2020.1820858 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Rodríguez‐Domínguez, Á., Rebollo‐Salas, M., Chillón‐Martínez, R., Rosales‐Tristancho, A., Villa-Del-Pino, I., & Jiménez‐Rejano, J. (2025) · Brazilian Journal of Physical Therapy · doi:10.1016/j.bjpt.2025.101226 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Wolfe, F., Ablin, J. N., Baker, J. F., Diab, R., Guymer, E. K., Littlejohn, G. O., Michaud, K. D., Rasker, J. J., Walitt, B. T., & Häuser, W. (2020) · Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism · doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2020.02.005 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Self-citationDemographic Characteristics and Clinical Features of Fibromyalgia in China: A Cross-Sectional Study
Jiao, J., Cheng, Z., Wang, W., Zhao, Y., & Jiang, Q. (2021) · Rheumatology and Therapy · doi:10.1007/s40744-021-00303-1 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Wolfe, F., Michaud, K. D., ten Klooster, P. M., & Rasker, J. J. (2022) · Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism · doi:10.1016/j.semarthrit.2022.152145 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Self-citationHackshaw, K. V., Yao, S., Bao, H., Castellví, S. D. L., Aziz, R., Nuguri, S. M., Yu, L., Osuna-Diaz, M. M., Brode, W. M., Sebastian, K., et al. (2023) · Biomedicines · doi:10.3390/biomedicines11102704 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Zhang, Y., Liang, D., Jiang, R., Ji, X., Wang, Y., Zhu, J., Zhang, J., & Huang, F. (2017) · Clinical Rheumatology · doi:10.1007/s10067-017-3872-6 · Cited by 16 · see citing works
van Wilgen, C. P., Uclés‐Juárez, R., Крутько, Д. М., Li, Y., Polli, A., Syed, A., Zampese, S., dos Reis, F. J. J., & de Zeeuw, J. (2023) · Pain Practice · doi:10.1111/papr.13339 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Lind, A., Just, D., Mikus, M. S., Fredolini, C., Ioannou, M., Gerdle, B. U. C., Ghafouri, B., Bäckryd, E., Tanum, L., Gordh, T., et al. (2019) · Journal of Pain Research · doi:10.2147/jpr.s215348 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Samman, A. A., Bokhari, R. A., Idris, S., Bantan, R., Margushi, R., Lary, S., Sait, R. M., & Bawazir, Y. M. (2021) · Cureus · doi:10.7759/cureus.12670 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Clifford‐Faugère, G. D., Nguefack, H. L. N., Godbout-Parent, M., Diallo, M. A., Guénette, L., Pagé, M. G., Choinière, M., Beaudoin, S., Boulanger, A., Pinard, A.-M., et al. (2023) · Canadian Journal of Pain · doi:10.1080/24740527.2023.2252037 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Decoding the connection: unraveling the role of gut microbiome in fibromyalgia
Minerbi, A., Khoutorsky, A., & Shir, Y. (2024) · PAIN Reports · doi:10.1097/pr9.0000000000001224 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Early diagnostics of fibromyalgia: an overview of the challenges and opportunities
Malluru, N., Abdullah, Y., & Hackshaw, K. V. (2025) · Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics · doi:10.1080/14737159.2025.2450793 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Clauw, D. J. (2020) · Arthritis Care & Research · doi:10.1002/acr.24198 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Fibromyalgia severity and symptoms are associated with the disorders of gut–brain interaction
Erdrich, S., & Harnett, J. (2024) · European Journal of Pain · doi:10.1002/ejp.4766 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Davies, A. F., Hill, P. J., Fay, D., Dee, A., & Locher, C. (2020) · Health Psychology Open · doi:10.1177/2055102920971494 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Nuguri, S. M., Hackshaw, K. V., Castellví, S. D. L., Bao, H., Yao, S., Aziz, R., Selinger, S., Mikulik, Z., Yu, L., Osuna-Diaz, M. M., et al. (2024) · Molecules · doi:10.3390/molecules29020413 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Polli, A., Nijs, J., Ickmans, K., Velkeniers, B., & Godderis, L. (2019) · Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy · doi:10.2519/jospt.2019.0612 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Painful Truth: The Need to Re-Center Chronic Pain on the Functional Role of Pain
Santiago, V. (2022) · Journal of Pain Research · doi:10.2147/jpr.s347780 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Nuguri, S. M., Hackshaw, K. V., Castellví, S. D. L., Wu, Y., Gonzalez, C. M., Goetzman, C. M., Schultz, Z. D., Yu, L., Aziz, R., Osuna-Diaz, M. M., et al. (2024) · Biomedicines · doi:10.3390/biomedicines12071447 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Sturgeon, J. A., Trost, Z., Ashar, Y. K., Lumley, M. A., Schubiner, H. H., Clauw, D. J., & Hassett, A. L. (2025) · Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine · doi:10.1136/rapm-2025-107076 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Jones, C. L., & Younger, J. (2025) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph22020280 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Which symptoms best distinguish fibromyalgia patients from those with other chronic pain disorders?
Bennett, R. M., Jones, K. D., Aebischer, J. H., John, A. W. S., & Friend, R. M. (2021) · Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice · doi:10.1111/jep.13615 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Neural indices of multimodal sensory and autonomic hyperexcitability in fibromyalgia
Marinković, K., Woodruff, D., White, D. R., Caudle, M. M., & Cronan, T. A. (2023) · Neurobiology of Pain · doi:10.1016/j.ynpai.2023.100140 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Kane, N. S., Anastasides, N., Litke, D. R., Helmer, D. A., Hunt, S. C., Quigley, K. S., Pigeon, W. R., & McAndrew, L. M. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0259341 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Merone, L., Tsey, K., Russell, D. B., Daltry, A., & Nagle, C. (2022) · Women s Health Reports · doi:10.1089/whr.2022.0040 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Methylation factors as biomarkers of fibromyalgia
Huang, C., Zhang, N., Wei, M., Pan, Q., Cheng, C., Lu, K.-E., Mo, J., & Chen, Y. (2023) · Annals of Translational Medicine · doi:10.21037/atm-22-6631 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
The history of the idea of widespread pain and its relation to fibromyalgia
Wolfe, F. (2020) · Scandinavian Journal of Pain · doi:10.1515/sjpain-2020-0072 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Self-citationZhang, G. Y., Cortella, A. M., Lai, J. C., & Rubin, J. B. (2024) · Hepatology Communications · doi:10.1097/hc9.0000000000000605 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Akintayo, R. O., Adelowo, O. O., Ahmed, B. A., Olafimihan, K. O., & Olatunde, O. A. (2020) · International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases · doi:10.1111/1756-185x.13865 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Güler, M. A., & ÇAKIT, M. O. (2020) · Archives of Rheumatology · doi:10.46497/archrheumatol.2020.7683 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Wolfe, F., & Walitt, B. T. (2016) · Arthritis & Rheumatology · doi:10.1002/art.39998 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Self-citationHealth Care Content and Engagement in Chronic Illness Instagram Posts: Content Analysis
Daon, L. D., Lee, F.-S. W., Saynina, O., & Wang, C.-H. J. (2025) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/57523 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Fibromyalgia: A Short Commentary
Wolfe, F., & Walitt, B. T. (2016) · Journal of Headache & Pain Management · doi:10.4172/2472-1913.100027 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Self-citationUZUNKAYA, A. H. (2020) · Ağrı - The Journal of The Turkish Society of Algology · doi:10.14744/agri.2020.02259 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Manifestações de sintomas somáticos em pacientes com Fibromialgia: uma revisão narrativa
Filho, L. A. M., Santos, A. E. M. D. S., Cribari, P. M., Vasconcelos, L. V. C., Rezende, J. C., Paulino, A. L. L., Araujo, H. D. L., Franco, G. H., Brandão, J. B. S., & Prates, L. S. (2021) · Revista Eletrônica Acervo Científico · doi:10.25248/reac.e7901.2021 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Cassisi, G., & Sarzi‐Puttini, P. (2022) · Clinical and Experimental Rheumatology · doi:10.55563/clinexprheumatol/mopepq · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Fibromyalgia: Diagnosis and Management Across the Lifespan
Starkweather, A. R., & Menzies, V. S. (2016) · Topics in Pain Management · doi:10.1097/01.tpm.0000494662.72865.8f · Cited by 3 · see citing works
The relation of fibromyalgia and fibromyalgia symptoms to self-reported seizures
Rasker, J. J., Wolfe, F., Klaver-Król, E. G., Zwarts, M. J., & ten Klooster, P. M. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0246051 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Self-citationnew perspectives on creating web pages with html, xhtml, and xml
Carey, P. (2005) · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Assis, R. D., Mittal, N., Clarke, H. A., & Fitzcharles, M. (2025) · PAIN Reports · doi:10.1097/pr9.0000000000001316 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
The Lived Experiences of Fibromyalgia in Taiwanese Women
Whei-Mei, S., Lee-Ing, T., Hsu, H., & Pin-Ru, H. (2018) · European Scientific Journal ESJ · doi:10.19044/esj.2018.v14n18p49 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Etiology and pathophysiology of fibromyalgia
Almanza, A. P. M. C., da Cruz, D. S., de Oliveira-Junior, S. A., & Martinez, P. F. (2023) · REVISTA CIÊNCIAS EM SAÚDE · doi:10.21876/rcshci.v13i3.1420 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Fibromyalgia Is Overdiagnosed in the General Population: Comment on the Article by Hootman et al
Wolfe, F., & Walitt, B. T. (2016) · Arthritis & Rheumatology · doi:10.1002/art.39839 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Self-citationElectronic Health Record Coding of Self-Reported Diagnoses in the All of Us Research ProgramPreprint
Asiaee, A., & Aryan, K. (2026) · medRxiv · doi:10.64898/2026.10.18.26365863 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Starks, V. A., Toussaint, L. L., Sirois, F. M., Dezutter, J., Schelling, J., Kohls, N., Offenbächer, M., & Hirsch, J. K. (2026) · Journal of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1007/s10865-026-00632-y · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Beyond the Benefit of Doubt: Biases and Credibility in the Adjudication of Chronic Pain
Assis, R. D., Cohen, S. P., Clarke, H. A., Mittal, N., & Fitzcharles, M. (2026) · The Journal of Law Medicine & Ethics · doi:10.1017/jme.2026.10261 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Harth, M. (2017) · Canadian Journal of Pain · doi:10.1080/24740527.2017.1378568 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Fibromyalgia: Classification, Criteria, and Diagnosis—What Is Fibromyalgia?
Tzadok, R. (2021) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-78638-0_8 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Pasin, T., & Karatekin, B. D. (2023) · Anadolu Kliniği Tıp Bilimleri Dergisi · doi:10.21673/anadoluklin.1346436 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Leenus, A., Rahman, R., Dana, E., Tran, C., Westwood, D. J., Osokin, E. E., Hoydonckx, Y., Moayedi, M., Hirani, S., & Khan, J. S. (2025) · Pain Management · doi:10.1080/17581869.2025.2459594 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Authors reply to "What is the significance of diagnostic criteria of fibromyalgia?"
Kang, J., An, M., Choi, S., Xu, H., Park, D.-J., Lee, J.-K., & Lee, S. (2019) · International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases · doi:10.1111/1756-185x.13707 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Bina, R. W., Hurlbert, R. J., & Dang, A. B. C. (2018) · Techniques in Orthopaedics · doi:10.1097/bto.0000000000000332
Staud, R. M. (2020) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-805408-6.00035-x
Zakaria, T. Y. (2019) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.3548385
The Clinical Spectrum of Fibromyalgia and Its Treatment: An Overview
Ablin, J. N., & Shtrozberg, S. (2021) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-78638-0_11
Viceconti, A., Geri, T., Luca, S. D., Maselli, F., Rossettini, G., Sulli, A., Schenone, A. E., & Testa, M. (2021) · Revue du Rhumatisme · doi:10.1016/j.rhum.2021.11.005
Valentini, E. (2021) · Journal of Trial and Error · doi:10.36850/rga5
How to Differentiate Chronic Widespread Pain in Order to Reduce Misdiagnosis of Fibromyalgia
Geslaghi, K., & Krout, B. (2023) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-28296-6_66
Fibromyalgia: Hamlet’s Soliloquy and the State of the Art
Rothschild, B. M. (2024) · Rheumato · doi:10.3390/rheumato4030011
“I Know I Have Fibromyalgia, but My Back Hurts.”: Back Pain and Fibromyalgia
Standaert, C. J., & Levy, I. (2024) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/med/9780197652848.003.0019
Difficulties of differential diagnosis of fibromyalgia
Karakulova, Y. V., Сергеевна, Ш. Е., & Александровна, Т. Л. (2025) · Meditsinskiy sovet = Medical Council · doi:10.21518/ms2025-114 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Fleig, K., Nahin, R. L., Stussman, B. J., Wilkerson, M. J., Unger, E. R., Lin, J.-M. S., & Brian, W. (2026) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/s12889-026-27598-5
Ganesh, A. (2026) · Health An Interdisciplinary Journal for the Social Study of Health Illness and Medicine · doi:10.1177/13634593261446986
Kaur, M., Rudnik, J., Meisner, P. D., Williams, A., & Lauwerys, B. (2026) · PAIN Reports · doi:10.1097/pr9.0000000000001451
Kim, S.-A., Macfarlane, G. J., & Beasley, M. (2026) · Arthritis Care & Research · doi:10.1002/acr.80131
Nuguri, S. M., RODRIGUEZ‐SAONA, L. E., Gao, C., Bao, H., Sebastian, K. R., Osuna-Diaz, M. M., Giusti, M. M., Yu, L., Castellví, S. D. L., & Hackshaw, K. V. (2026) · Journal of Translational Medicine · doi:10.1186/s12967-026-08919-z
Casarella, A., Rania, V., Vocca, C., Marcianò, G., Torta, R., Palleria, C., Antonazzo, V., Mastrangelo, V., Emerenziani, G. P., Oranges, F. P., et al. (2026) · Healthcare · doi:10.3390/healthcare14203478
Sloan, M. A., Leschziner, G. D., Arunasalam, A., D’Cruz, D. P., Calderwood, L., Harwood, R., Kaul, A., Bosley, M., Pitkänen, M., Gnanapavan, S., et al. (2026) · Rheumatology International · doi:10.1007/s00296-026-06296-w
- Authors
- Walitt, B., Katz, R. S., Bergman, M. J., & Wolfe, F.
- Affiliations
- Georgetown University (US)
- Rush University Medical Center (US)
- Drexel University (US)
- The National Databank for Rheumatic Diseases (US)
- Corresponding author
- Walitt, Brian
- Venue
- PLOS ONE
- Publisher
- Public Library of Science (PLoS)
- Published
- 2016-06-09
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- e0157235
- ISSN
- 1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC4900652
- OpenAlex
- W2419360491
- Cited by
- 97
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 10 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 7 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 5
- FWCI
- 7.40
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- public-domain
- creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/ (vor)
- Locations
- PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, public-domain)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Pharmacology › Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation
- Keywords
- fibromyalgia, diagnostic criteria, diagnosis, prevalence, work disability, medical utilization, insomnia, sex differences, demographic factors, ACR classification criteria, National Health Interview Survey, chronic pain, disability insurance claims, health care costs, quality of care, health care delivery, health care financing
- MeSH terms
- Adult, False Positive Reactions, Female, Fibromyalgia, Humans, Male, Pregnancy, United States
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
