FIBROMYALGIA VERSUS RHEUMATOID-ARTHRITIS - A LONGITUDINAL COMPARISON OF THE QUALITY-OF-LIFE

Objective. To evaluate and compare the quality of life of patients wit h fibromyalgia (FM) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods. Forty-four women with FM and 41 with RA were studied. There were 3 evaluations, with a 3-month interval. Besides special and general clinical examinat ions, the following tests were applied: pain numerical scale (PNS), He alth Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ), Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ), Arthritis Helplessness Index (AHI), Modified Post-Sleep Invent ory (PST), and questions about sleep disorders and socioeconomic impac t. Results. Results include the following: tender points (TP): FM = 13 .9, RA = 2.9; PNS: FM = 7.2, RA = 6.8; HAQ: FM = 0.90, RA = 1.22; FIQ: FM = 47.2, RA = 42.5; AHI: FM = 32.7, RA = 31.8; sleep quality - mean duration of daily sleep: FM = 6.7 h, RA = 6.1; PSI scores: FM = 64.6, RA = 57.2. On questioning regarding economic impact, there was a decr ease in family income for 65% of patients with FM and 75.1% for those with RA. Fifty-five percent of patients with FM and 66.6% of those wit h RA received social security aid. At followup evaluation, there was a statistically significant improvement in the following items for the patients with FM: TP count, HAQ, and AHI. The patients with RA improve d in number of TP and AHI. Conclusion. FM has a negative impact on qua lity of life, similar to RA. Clinical, functional, and economic proble ms related to the disease were observed. The alteration observed remai ned relatively stable during the study period, except for physical dis ability.