EULAR evidence-based recommendations for the management of fibromyalgia syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: To develop evidence-based recommendations for the management of fibromyalgia syndrome. METHODS: A multidisciplinary task force was formed representing 11 European countries. The design of the study, including search strategy, participants, interventions, outcome measures, data collection and analytical method, was defined at the outset. A systematic review was undertaken with the keywords "fibromyalgia", "treatment or management" and "trial". Studies were excluded if they did not utilise the American College of Rheumatology classification criteria, were not clinical trials, or included patients with chronic fatigue syndrome or myalgic encephalomyelitis. Primary outcome measures were change in pain assessed by visual analogue scale and fibromyalgia impact questionnaire. The quality of the studies was categorised based on randomisation, blinding and allocation concealment. Only the highest quality studies were used to base recommendations on. When there was insufficient evidence from the literature, a Delphi process was used to provide basis for recommendation. RESULTS: 146 studies were eligible for the review. 39 pharmacological intervention studies and 59 non-pharmacological were included in the final recommendation summary tables once those of a lower quality or with insufficient data were separated. The categories of treatment identified were antidepressants, analgesics, and "other pharmacological" and exercise, cognitive behavioural therapy, education, dietary interventions and "other non-pharmacological". In many studies sample size was small and the quality of the study was insufficient for strong recommendations to be made. CONCLUSIONS: Nine recommendations for the management of fibromyalgia syndrome were developed using a systematic review and expert consensus.

Women with fibromyalgia: work and rehabilitation.

PURPOSE: To explore disability in women with fibromyalgia with a focus on their work situation. METHOD: Review of literature on work status of women with fibromyalgia. RESULTS: Major differences exist between studies in reported disability and in the percentages of women working. Limitations caused by pain, fatigue, decreased muscle strength, and endurance influence work capacity. However, 34 - 77% of the women work. Individual adjustments in the work situation are reported. When the women find a level that matches their ability, they continue to work and find satisfaction in their work role. Many factors besides degree of impairment or disability influence whether clients with longstanding pain can remain in their work role or return to work after sickness leave. CONCLUSION: The total life situation, other commitments, type of work tasks, the ability to influence the work situation, and the physical and psychosocial work environment are important factors in determining whether a person can remain in a work role. More knowledge is needed about how to adjust work conditions for people with partial work ability to the benefit of society and the individual.

Factors of importance for work disability in women with fibromyalgia.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors of importance for women with fibromyalgia (FM) to continue working despite the limitations imposed by the symptoms. METHODS: A mail questionnaire with questions regarding social background, symptoms, sickness benefits, work situation, work conditions and adjustments, opinions regarding own work ability, and satisfaction with the situation was sent to 218 consecutive women seen at a university pain or rheumatology clinic. Answers were obtained from 176 women. RESULTS: Pain, poor quality sleep, abnormal tiredness, muscle stiffness, and increased pain after muscle exertion were frequently reported symptoms. Fifty percent of the women were employed, 15% full-time. Twenty-three percent reported FM as the reason for not working. The work situation had been changed for 58% of the working women, and 80% counted on being able to continue working. CONCLUSION: Work disability is a serious concern in FM, and the majority of women with FM have limitations in their ability to work. Our results indicate that individual adjustments in the work situation need to be made and that women who have found a level matching their ability may continue to work and find it satisfactory. Early intervention in the work situation is recommended.

Impact of fibromyalgia on everyday life: a study of women in the USA and Sweden.

The study investigated how 39 women with fibromyalgia (FM), living in two countries (USA or Sweden), report the consequences of fibromyalgia on everyday life activities. Data were collected using questionnaires, diaries and interviews. The result showed that the impact on everyday life was considerable. The majority of the women experienced pain and fatigue for more than 90% of their time awake. There were no significant differences between the national groups in time use, problems with everyday activities, or quality of life. Overall, the differences between individuals were greater than between the national groups. The majority of the employed patients in the Swedish group had reduced their working time, while the employed patients in the USA group worked mainly full-time. Patients who were able to reduce their working hours to fit their perceived capacity were less exhausted during their leisure, and reported higher satisfaction with daily activities.

Chronic regional muscular pain in women with precise manipulation work. A study of pain characteristics, muscle function, and impact on daily activities.

Pain characteristics, muscle function and impact on daily activities were studied in 39 women with chronic regional muscular pain (RMP). They were all blue-collar workers in work involving precise manipulations. The main location of the pain was in the neck-shoulder region. Nineteen age-matched women with fibromyalgia (FM) were studied in the same way as the RMP patients. Thirty-seven women with no pain and with the same age and weight as the RMP patients served as reference group with respect to muscle strength and endurance. A follow-up study was done with respect to pain distribution and other pain characteristics 20 months after the initial examination. The findings were of the same nature in the RMP and the FM groups. The intensity of pain, the lowering of pain threshold for pressure, and the degree of sleep disturbance were greater in the FM than in the RMP group. Isometric muscle strength and static muscular endurance were reduced in both FM and RMP compared to reference values. The reduction in strength and endurance was greater in FM than in RMP. Even if the impact on everyday activities were greater in FM than in RMP, the impact was substantial in RMP patients also, for example with regard to work capacity. There were no transitions from RMP to FM during the 20 months to follow-up. Three FM patients, however, did not meet the ACR criteria for FM at follow-up.

Living with continuous muscular pain--patient perspectives. Part I: Encounters and consequences.

The purpose of the present study was to focus on the patient perspectives of living with chronic muscular pain, and to identify factors that can explain and give further understanding of how the condition influences everyday life. Forty women with fibromyalgia, living in two different cultural, health care and social security settings, Sweden and the USA, were interviewed, using a semi-structured format. Three preliminary typologies are suggested for further studies: Encounters, Consequences, and Strategies. The study is presented in two articles: Part I: Encounters and consequences, Part II: Strategies for daily life. This first article shows that the contradiction between the patients' perception of illness and the lack of objective findings is stressful. The women feel rejected, misunderstood, and disbelieved, which prevents them from dealing with their situation constructively. Long investigation periods provoke anxiety, and confirmation of the diagnosis is a relief. Daily routines are disrupted, conflicts between life roles lead to additional stress and the women experience loss of ability to perform valued activities, lack of physical fitness and loss of future opportunities. Patients need early and adequate information and the consequences of the condition must be acknowledged and taken into consideration if secondary economic and psychosocial consequences are to be minimized.

Living with continuous muscular pain--patient perspectives. Part II: Strategies for daily life.

This second article of the study Living with Continuous Muscular Pain is Part II: Strategies for Daily Life. The primary purpose was to explore, analyse and describe how women with fibromyalgia, living in two different cultural, health care and social security settings, managed their everyday life in spite of the limitations imposed by the condition. Data were collected through qualitative semi-structured interviews with 40 women, 20 living in the USA and 20 in Sweden. The different strategies used by the women were identified and a preliminary typology of strategies is proposed as a base for further and more specific studies. The results support earlier findings, though the qualitative approach adds knowledge regarding the women's own perception, interpretation and experiences of how to deal with the problems that arose. The findings in the two national groups were very similar, but differences in the medico-legal compensation systems influenced the women's opportunities to reduce working hours. Changes of habits, roles and lifestyle, as well as ergonomic considerations were required. These changes take time and require continued support from the environment and the health care providers. Further insight into the consequences of the condition is necessary for the planning of successful treatment and support programs.

Longterm effects of fibromyalgia on everyday life. A study of 56 patients.

Fifty-six patients with fibromyalgia, previously studied in 1984, were followed up after five years, using a mail questionnaire and a global health assessment instrument, the Sickness Impact Profile. The aim was to investigate the patients' perception of their symptoms and to describe the consequences for everyday life. Half of the patients reported that pain, fatigue and sleep problems had increased, less than 20% reported improvements, and 30-40%, no change. In spite of this, 25% reported that their overall condition had improved. Motor tasks were somewhat less difficult to manage. The symptoms had severe consequences for the patients' ability to manage everyday life activities. The study confirms that fibromyalgia, once established, is a non-remitting syndrome. Also, the social consequences were constant over time.

Stone recurrences in kidneys made stone-free by percutaneous extraction.

Of 100 renal units which were made stone-free by percutaneous stone extraction in 1985, 86 (86.0%) were re-examined radiologically up to 5 years after operation. The re-examination was performed because of symptoms or as part of a regular check-up or after calling the patient. Intrarenal calcifications were diagnosed in 27 of 86 (31.4%) of the renal units, but only in 11 (12.8%) were there stones requiring treatment.

Living with fibromyalgia. Consequences for everyday life.

The influence of chronic pain on daily life was studied in 58 patients (55 women and three men) with fibromyalgia. The mean age was 45 +/- 11 (SD) years. A mail questionnaire including a 2-day diary was used for data collection. Information was gathered on social background, employment status, symptoms, physical training habits, patients' experience of general health, physical condition, and difficulties in performing motor tasks. The patient reported every half hour in the activity diary the degree of pain and fatigue, whether the activities were difficult to perform, and whether the patient considered them to be enjoyable, valuable, and meaningful. Fifty-five percent of the group had gainful employment. Most were working shorter hours and with changed work tasks. Motor tasks, such as carrying, holding, and running were more difficult to perform than before the onset of the symptoms, and half of the group reported most of their activities as strenuous to perform. Thirty-nine persons (67%) reported no, or very short, pain-free periods during the 2 days. In conclusion, symptoms influenced daily life considerably, and almost all patients reported changes in habits and routines as a consequence of fibromyalgia. An assessment of the patient's total life situation gives valuable information for understanding the patients' ability to handle everyday life.

Skeletal metastases in 102 patients evaluated before surgery for renal cell carcinoma.

During a 3-year period a consecutive series of 102 patients were treated for renal cell carcinoma at one urological unit. Thirty-three patients (32.4%) had metastatic spread, but bone metastases were found in six patients only, i.e. 5.9% of the whole series and 18.2% of the patients with metastases preoperatively. The bone metastases had in all six patients given local symptoms first indicating radiography, and thereafter radionuclide scintigraphy of the entire skeleton. Bone scintigraphy performed merely by routine in 70 patients did not reveal one single case of bone metastasis. Only one patient had a solitary bone metastasis, and this metastasis was considered inoperable because of its location and size and the patient's age. The decision about nephrectomy was not in any case altered by the finding of bone metastases. Solitary bone metastasis must be diagnosed early since they may be radically removed. Routine scintigraphy of the skeleton in symptomless patients, however, has a low yield. Screening for skeletal metastases may therefore be best performed by careful physical examination and history-taking.

Bilateral asynchronous renal cell carcinoma. Computed tomography of the contralateral kidney 10-43 years after nephrectomy.

Computed tomography (CT) was carried out in 31 patients 10-43 years after surgery for renal cell carcinoma, 10 belonging to a consecutive series of patients operated upon at one urological department 10 years previously. Twenty-eight patients were symptomless, and 3 had flank pain, severe fatigue and hematuria, respectively. Cancers in the remaining kidney were found 13-21 years after nephrectomy in 4 of 31 patients (12.9%). The 3 patients with symptoms were among these 4. An adenoma was found in 1 patient 10 years after nephrectomy. The cancers were treated by renal resection in 2 patients, multiple tumors made nephrectomy necessary in 1 patient and 1 patient was not operated upon because of disseminated disease. The adenoma indicated future checkup by CT. Three of the 4 new cancers had a dismal outcome. The renal parenchyma was found to be essentially normal in all the other 26 patients, irrespective of the widely varying time interval between nephrectomy and CT. Asynchronous bilateral renal cell carcinoma has a poor outcome which presumably can be improved by early diagnosis and aggressive treatment. CT is the method of choice for early detection and follow-up of renal tumors. It should be carried out every other year after nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma.

Transitional cloacogenic carcinoma of the female urethra treated with external irradiation and afterloading with cobalt-60.

A case of transitional cloacogenic carcinoma of the urethra in a 70-year-old woman is reported. Due to incomplete removal of the tumor and reluctancy to undergo extensive surgery, the patient also received external radiation and afterloading with cobalt-60. The patient is alive with no evidence of disease 7 years after the diagnosis, which may suggest that postoperative radiation as outlined should be considered in elderly women with urethral carcinoma.

Use of a tamponade catheter in the bleeding nephrostolithotomy track.

Bleeding from the nephrostomy track, which is the most common major complication of percutaneous extraction of renal stones, was treated in 5 patients with the Kaye double-lumen nephrostomy tamponade catheter. This treatment was effective in all cases. The procedure eliminates the need for more invasive measures like embolisation and open surgery with renal resection, both of which cause loss of functioning renal parenchyma.

Renal function after autotransplantation with direct pyelocystostomy. Long-term follow-up.

The function of 20 human autologous kidney grafts was studied for 4 to 8 years (mean 5 1/2) after autotransplantation with a direct pyelocystostomy. The indications for the operation were low-grade, low-stage tumour of the renal pelvis and/or ureter, frequently recurrent renal stones and remaining outflow obstruction after pyeloplasty for hydronephrosis. The wide pyelocystostomy implies reflux of urine from the urinary bladder to the renal pelvis but no significant changes were found in glomerular or tubular function, studied with 51Cr-EDTA clearance, 131I-Hippuran renography, analysis of beta 2-microglobulin and total protein excretion in urine, and determination of concentration ability after administration of desmopressin. No increase in the severity or frequency of urinary tract infections was observed.

Percutaneous surgery for stones in pyelocaliceal diverticula.

The technique used for percutaneous extraction of stones in pyelocaliceal diverticula and the results of the procedure in 13 patients are presented. Nine patients have been free of their pre-operative symptoms, pain and/or bacteriuria, since removal of the stones.

Pulmonary embolism in renal cell carcinoma with vena cava extension.

Of 18 patients with renal cell carcinoma extending into the inferior caval vein, 11 underwent nephrectomy and cavathrombectomy and were examined by pulmonary scintigraphy pre- and postoperatively. In 7 patients, who underwent non-radical surgery or no surgery at all and had died of generalized tumour, the postmortem examination reports were scrutinised. On pulmonary scintigraphy, altogether 6 patients (55%) were free from perfusion defects preoperatively. Between the pre- and postoperative examination, perfusion defects appeared, disappeared, varied in size or were unchanged. Only 4 patients (36%) had acquired new defects. The total number of defects preoperatively was 14 and postoperatively 12. Most defects engaged less than a pulmonary segment and only 2 a whole segment. None gave clinical symptoms. No macroscopic pulmonary emboli were found in any patient at the postmortem examination.

Renal cell carcinoma with vena cava extension: diagnostic and surgical features of 41 cases.

Vena cava extension of renal cell carcinoma was diagnosed in 33 men and 8 women, 29 of whom had right-sided and 12 left-sided tumours. Angiography was performed in all and cavography in most patients. Computed tomography was available in 16 cases. The tumour thrombus did not reach the diaphragm in 32 patients, and extended above it in 9 cases. Macroscopically, complete cavathrombectomy was performed in 33 patients. All tumours except one were of high grade type (grades III and IV). Serum creatinine and liver enzymes were normal at the first postoperative check-up. The 5-year-survival rate in patients subjected to complete cavathrombectomy was 24%. The 5-year-survival was 33% in patients whose tumours extended to below the diaphragm, 0% in patients whose tumours extended above the diaphragm (NS), 33% in grade III tumours and 0% in grade IV tumours (NS), 33% in patients without evidence of metastases and 0% in patients with preoperative metastases (NS).

Function of human autologous kidney grafts after extracorporeal preservation with Sacks' II solution.

The function of 18 human kidney grafts was studied before and 3 months after autotransplantation without prior bench surgery on the parenchyma or the vessels. Kidney protection was accomplished by pre-treating the patient with mannitol and low molecular weight dextran solution and flushing the kidney with a Xylocaine-heparin mixture and cold Sacks' II solution. The mean cold ischaemia time was 239 min (range 140-345 min). The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) remained unchanged post-operatively in terms of both total and split kidney GFR. Proximal and distal tubular integrity, as studied by determination of beta2-microglobulin excretion and concentration ability respectively, was also preserved.