Coronaphobia in patients with fibromyalgia

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the level of coronaphobia caused by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and to compare the results in patients without FMS.

Patients and methods: Between August 2020 and October 2020, a total of 61 patients who were admitted to our outpatient clinic were included. The patients were divided into two groups as Group 1 (n=30; 2 males, 28 females; mean age: 43.2±9.3 years; range, 21 to 61 years) consisting of patients who were newly diagnosed or under follow-up for FMS and Group 2, the control group, (n=31; 4 males, 27 females; mean age: 49±10.7 years; range, 25 to 66 years) consisting patients who presented with any locomotor system complaint and were not diagnosed with FMS. Sociodemographic data of the patients and comorbidities were recorded. All the patients in both groups completed the COVID-19 Phobia Scale (C19P-S).

Results: The C19P-S total score and psychological, psychosomatic, social, and economic subscale scores were statistically significantly higher in the FMS group than the control group (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Our study results suggest that FMS patients have more concerns in this extraordinary global pandemic situation. Early detection of
coronaphobia and timely psychological support are critical for individuals prone to psychological disorders, such as FMS.

Citation: Külekçioğlu S, Akyüz M, İnan Ö, Çetin A. Coronaphobia in patients with fibromyalgia. Arch Rheumatol 2022;37(2):180-186.

The study protocol was approved by the Bursa City Hospital Clinical Research Ethics Committee (Date-no: 2019-KAEK-140). The study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Helsinki Declaration.

All patients were informed about the nature of the study and a written informed consent was obtained on a voluntary basis.
Data Sharing Statement: The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Design, data collection and processing, analysis and interpretation, writing: S.K.; Data collection and processing, analysis and interpretation, writing: M.A.; Data collection and processing: Ö.‹.; Idea, concept, concultancy, analysis and interpretation: A.Ç. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.