Weather, Beliefs About Weather, in Fibromyalgia
Weather, beliefs about weather, and disease severity among
patients with fibromyalgia. Hagglund KJ; Deuser WE; Buckelew
SP; Hewett J; Kay DR Arthritis Care Res, 7(3):130-5 1994 Sep
This investigation 1) examined the relationships among actual
weather, disease severity, and symptoms for individuals with
fibromyalgia, 2) assessed subjects' beliefs about weather affecting
their symptoms, and 3) examined differences between individuals
with high and low "weather sensitivity."
Eighty-four individuals meeting Yunus' criteria for the diagnosis of
fibromyalgia participated. Subjects completed the Weather and
Pain Questionnaire (WPQ), the Arthritis Impact Measurement
Scales (AIMS), the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised
(SCL-90-R), and a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) assessing pain. A
tender point index and a myalgic score were also obtained.
Subjects reported that weather affected musculoskeletal
symptoms predominantly. The strongest relationship was found
between weather beliefs and self-reported pain scores. Subjects
with high weather sensitivity tended to have more functional
impairment and psychological distress.
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