Background & Aims

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a method of assessment that evaluates the reaction to a stimulus that people may feel to varying degrees from uncomfortable to painful on an individual basis(1,2). Few reports have used QST to assess the perception of pain of patients with fibromyalgia(3). This study used self-administered questionnaires to investigate the relation between subjective pain assessment and QST in a sample of patients with fibromyalgia.

Methods

A total of 122 patients who visited our outpatient clinic between September 2022 and December 2023 with a chief complaint of pain and who met the preliminary diagnostic criteria for fibromyalgia in ACR 2010 were enrolled for study. Self-administered questionnaires included a Visual Analogue Sore (VAS) of pain over one week, the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. QST was done with intercross-220 (Intercross, Inc.) to assess the reaction to a cold stimulus in the palm for correlation with the scores of the self-administered questionnaires. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the relation between the CPT and CSI.

Results

QST was not significantly correlated with the pain VAS or BPI intensity (? = 0.14/0.16, p = 0.26/0.09). On the other hand, QST was positively correlated with BPI interference and CSI (? = 0.22/0.32, p = 0.015/0.0004). Multiple regression analysis showed that CSI was significant after adjusting for each factor (p = 0.017).

Conclusions

Because the QST assesses response to an uncomfortable or possibly painful stimuli, it may reflect the influence of central sensitization on the response to pain by patients with fibromyalgia rather than spontaneous pain experience.

References

(1) Gruener G, Dyck PJ, Quantitative sensory testing: methodology, applications, and future directions. J Clin Neurophysiol., 1994 Nov;11(6):568-583.
(2) Rolke R, Quantitative sensory testing in the German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain (DFNS): standardized protocol and reference values. Pain 123(3):231-243. 2006
(3) Weber T, et al.Fibromyalgia-associated hyperalgesia is related to psychopathological alterations but not to gut microbiome changes. PLoS One. 2022 Sep 23;17(9):e0274026.

Presenting Author

Masako Hosoi

Poster Authors

Masako Hosoi

MD PhD

Kyushu University Hospital

Lead Author

Koji Fujimoto

MD

Dept of Psychosomatic Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Scienes, Kyushu University

Lead Author

Kozo Anno

MD,PhD

Dept of Psychosomatic Medicine and Multidisciplinary Pain Center, Kyushu University Hospital

Lead Author

Masafumi Murakami

MD

Dept of Psychosomatic Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Scienes, Kyushu University

Lead Author

Yu Tanaka,MD

Dept of Psychosomatic Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Scienes, Kyushu University

Lead Author

Nobuyuki Sudo

MD,PhD

Dept of Psychosomatic Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Scienes, Kyushu University

Lead Author

Topics

  • Specific Pain Conditions/Pain in Specific Populations: Fibromyalgia