Table 1.
Demographic and medical history of Chinese patients with fibromyalgia
| Characteristics | Cohort total (n = 124) | Female (n = 107) | Male (n = 17) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TPCa (mean (SD)) | 14.2 (3.0) | 14.4 (2.9) | 13.1 (3.0) | 0.09 |
| Age (years, mean (SD)) | 49.4 (10.8) | 50.1 (10.3) | 43.6 (12.9) | 0.027 |
| Han ethnicity (n (%)) | 111 (89.5) | 94 (87.9) | 17 (100.0) | 0.13 |
| BMI (mean (SD)) | 23.3 (3.0) | 23.2 (3.1) | 23.6 (2.5) | 0.57 |
| Current tobacco use (n (%)) | 5 (4.0) | 1 (1.0) | 4 (23.5) | < 0.001 |
| Current alcohol use (n (%)) | 4 (3.2) | 0 (0.0) | 4 (23.5) | < 0.001 |
| Married (n (%)) | 97 (78.2) | 82 (76.6) | 15 (88.2) | 0.28 |
| Employment (n (%)) | 0.016 | |||
| Employed | 53 (42.7) | 40 (37.4) | 13 (76.5) | |
| Homemaker | 8 (6.5) | 8 (7.5) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Retired | 56 (45.2) | 52 (48.6) | 4 (23.5) | |
| Unemployed | 7 (5.6) | 7 (6.5) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Education (n (%)) | 0.19 | |||
| Grades 1–9 | 15 (12.1) | 14 (13.1) | 1 (5.9) | |
| Grades 10–12/technical | 38 (30.6) | 35 (32.7) | 3 (17.6) | |
| College/university | 69 (55.6) | 56 (52.3) | 13 (76.5) | |
| Unknown | 2 (1.6) | 2 (1.9) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Household monthly incomeb (RMB, mean (SD)) | 0.011 | |||
| 1000–2000 | 8 (6.7) | 8 (7.5) | 0 (0.0) | |
| 2000–5000 | 37 (31.1) | 35 (32.7) | 2 (11.8) | |
| 5000–10,000 | 46 (38.7) | 40 (37.4) | 6 (35.3) | |
| Above 10,000 | 28 (23.9) | 19 (17.8) | 9 (52.9) | |
| Unknown | 5 (4.0) | 4 (3.7) | 0 (0.0) | |
| Residency in Beijing (n (%)) | 96 (77.4) | 81 (75.7) | 15 (88.2) | 0.24 |
| Symptom duration, months (median (Qd)) | 24 (11.9) | 24 (48.0) | 36 (36.0) | 0.51 |
| Having precipitating factors for FM symptoms (n (%)) | 56 (45.2) | 48 (44.9) | 8 (47.1) | 0.80 |
| Having aggravating factors for FM symptoms (n (%)) | 101 (81.5) | 87 (81.3) | 14 (82.4) | 0.75 |
| Previous FM treatment history (n (%)) | 61 (49.2) | 51 (47.7) | 10 (58.2) | 0.58 |
| Pre-study FM treatment means (n (%)) | ||||
| Pregabalin | 5 (4.0) | 4 (3.7) | 1 (5.9) | 1.00 |
| Duloxetine | 2 (1.6) | 2 (1.9) | 0 (0.0) | 1.00 |
| Amitriptyline | 3 (2.4) | 3 (2.8) | 0 (0.0) | 1.00 |
| Venlafaxine | 6 (4.8) | 5 (4.7) | 1 (5.9) | 1.00 |
| NSAIDs | 26 (21.0) | 23 (21.5) | 3 (17.6) | 0.77 |
| Sedatives | 39 (31.5) | 38 (35.5) | 1 (5.9) | 0.015 |
| Acupuncture and moxibustion | 12 (9.7) | 12 (11.2) | 0 (0.0) | 0.22 |
| Chinese medicine | 27 (21.8) | 25 (23.4) | 2 (11.8) | 0.52 |
| Acupotome c | 5 (4.0) | 4 (3.7) | 1 (5.9) | 1.00 |
| Medicinal paste | 19 (15.3) | 18 (16.8) | 1 (5.9) | 0.31 |
| Coexisting illness (n (%)) | 95 (76.6) | 85 (79.4) | 10 (58.8) | 0.019 |
| Coexisting illness types (n (%)) | ||||
| Cardiovascular diseases | 31 (25.0) | 27 (25.2) | 3 (17.6) | 0.56 |
| Osteoarthrosis/osteoporosis | 23 (18.5) | 21 (19.6) | 2 (11.8) | 0.53 |
| Tumor/cancer | 15 (12.1) | 13 (12.1) | 2 (11.8) | 1.00 |
| Ovarian cyst/adenomyosis | 11 (8.9) | 11 (10.3) | 0 (0.0) | 0.23 |
| Respiratory diseases | 8 (6.5) | 5 (4.7) | 2 (11.8) | 0.25 |
| Depression | 7 (5.6) | 7 (6.5) | 0 (0.0) | 0.59 |
| Migraine | 9 (7.3) | 9 (8.4) | 0 (0.0) | 0.36 |
| Irritable bowel syndrome | 5 (4.0) | 3 (2.8) | 2 (11.8) | 0.018 |
| Temporomandibular arthritis | 2 (3.0) | 1 (0.9) | 1 (5.9) | 0.26 |
BMI body mass index, RMB renminbi, Qd quartile deviation, TPC tender point count by physical examination, FM fibromyalgia, NSAIDs nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs
aThe TPC is a part of the clinical examination for fibromyalgia ranging from 0 to 18, with higher values indicating a lower pain threshold
bOne RMB = 1 yuan, and during most of 2018, 1000 RMB (yuan) was equivalent to US$ 147.71
cAn acupuncture operation using an instrument shaped like a needle knife