Abstract
Fibromyalgia (FM) is a common chronic pain disorder characterized by widespread pain. Japanese FM patients are estimated to number more than 2 million based on nationwide monitoring. We usually evaluate the pain by the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS). But these methods are subjective methods by patients. If we can quantify of pain, it will be one of the cognitive therapy of pain. Therefore quantification of pain is needed for evaluation and treatment of FM patients. A system for quantification of pain (Pain Vision®) has been developed in Japan. Using Pain Vision®, we can objectively evaluate the patient’s pain.
We measured the pain in 83 FM patients who met the ACR criteria in 1990 and compared the value between the recent NRS values and Pain Score among these patients. As a result, the average pain threshold of male FM patients is 9.35±2.64 with a pain degree of 649.91±312.94, and the average pain threshold of female FM patients is 7.93±2.30 with a pain degree 688.08±526.65. The average pain degree of FM patients was much higher than seen in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Also female FM patients have a lower pain threshold and might be related with hyperesthesia. On the other hand, a pain threshold with RA patients is not low.
There was no difference in RA and FM for the average of the NRS. However, FM patients who have high NRS scores have a high pain degree.
The measurement by Pain Vision is very helpful for us to objectively know the threshold and the pain degree.
In conclusion, the pain degree by Pain Vision® was able to quantify and evaluate the pain in patients with FM.
