OBJECTIVE: to evaluate a possible association between fibromyalgia and hepatitis C virus (HCV) chronic infection. METHODS: cross-sectional study comprising 186 fibromyalgic women, 55 non-fibromyalgic controls with a diagnosis of diffuse connective tissue diseases (DCTD), 33 HCV chronically infected women and 34 selected from the gastroenterology outpatient clinic with no liver related infection disease, all aged 18 or older. Fibromyalgia was diagnosed according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) classification criteria. Chronic HCV infection was defined by detection of HCV-RNA using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Other extra-hepatic manifestations comprised: fatigue, paresthesia, Raynaud´s phenomenon, sicca symptoms, depression and detectable thyroid autoantibodies. RESULTS: HCV-RNA was detected in 3 of the 185 fibromyalgic women (1.6%) and in none of the 55 DCTD group (p = 0.39). Chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain was more prevalent in the infected group (45.5%) than in the non-infected (26.5%), but no association was found between fibromyalgia and HCV chronic infection (OR = 1.39; 95% CI = 0.43-4.57). With the regard to other variables, only sicca symptoms were found to be associated with chronic infection (OR = 6.40; 95% CI = 1.94-21.87). CONCLUSION: we found no association between fibromyalgia and chronic HCV infection.
fibromyalgia; hepatitis C virus; infection
