Are fibromyalgia and failed back surgery syndromes actually "functional somatic syndromes" in terms of their symptomatological, familial and psychological characteristics? A comparative study with chronic medical illness and healthy controls.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate whether Fibromyalgia and Failed Back Surgery Syndromes (FMS-FBSS) may be evaluated under the single heading of Functional Somatic Syndromes (FSS) with respect to their symptomatological characteristics such as intensity, frequency, age of onset, duration, painful areas, fear of pain, and pain coping styles; familial characteristics such as family history of chronic medical illness, psychopathology and pain; and psychological characteristics such as manner of dealing with pain, fear of pain, alexithymia, symptom interpretation, somatosensory amplification and depression.

METHODS: The study comprised 150 individuals, separated into 3 groups; The FSS Group comprised 47 patients who were referred to the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Clinic at Istanbul University's Faculty of Medicine with FMS (n=35) and FBSS (n=12), the healthy control group (HC Group) comprised 47 individuals, and the chronic medical illness control group (CMIC Group) was made up of 56 individuals. Turkish versions of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Symptom Attribution Inventory, Somatosensory Amplification Scale and Beck Depression Inventory, along with a semi-structured form questioning general health, pain and demographics were administered to all participants.

RESULTS: FMS and FBSS participants (FSS Group) did not differ as a function of the major familial, symptomatological and clinical features considered in this study. Additionally, this group significantly differed from the HC and CMIC Groups with respect to almost all these features.

CONCLUSION: This study is Important Insofar as it simultaneously evaluated FMS and FBSS groups in the presence of a control group. The results suggest that FMS and FBSS, currently treated as two different diagnostic categories in general medical practice, may be evaluated under the single heading of FSS.