A better but persistently low health status in women with fibromyalgia during the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated ..., 2022, Koppert et al

Full title: A better but persistently low health status in women with fibromyalgia during the COVID-19 pandemic: a repeated cross-sectional data analysis

Abstract

Multiple overlapping and complementary theoretical arguments suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic could worsen health in fibromyalgia. The aim of this study was to determine mental and physical health in women with fibromyalgia before and during the pandemic.

In a 3-sample, repeated cross-sectional design, we analyzed questionnaire data from Dutch women with fibromyalgia, collected in three independent samples: before the COVID-19 pandemic (2018; n = 142) and during the first acute (2020; n = 304) and prolonged (2021; n = 95) phases of the pandemic. Eight dimensions of mental and physical health were assessed using The RAND 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (RAND SF-36).

Compared to norm group data, both before and during the pandemic, women with fibromyalgia showed high levels of fatigue and pain and low levels of general health, social functioning, physical functioning, role physical functioning (d > 1.2, very large effect sizes), role emotional functioning, and mental health (0.71 < d < 1.2, medium to large effect sizes).

Contrary to theoretical expectation, levels at five health variables before vs. during the pandemic did not differ (p > 0.05), and levels of pain (p < 0.001), role physical functioning (p < 0.001), and physical functioning (p = 0.03) (0.014 ≤ pη2 ≤ 0.042, small effect sizes) reflected a healthier status during than before the pandemic.

These findings indicate a somewhat better but persistently low health status in women with fibromyalgia during the pandemic. This suggests that the pandemic may include changed circumstances that are favorable for some women with fibromyalgia.
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Open access, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00296-022-05127-y

 

The authors used only one questionnaire (RAND SF-36, the short form health survery) to assess FM people at three time points.

I doubt then that the questionnaire captured the panic and heightened anxiety felt by all during the pandemic.

Though it could be there was some feeling that "now others are confined to home and have no social life, like us". A sort of comaraderie with society that gave a sense of better well-being.

link to RAND SF-36 https://www.rand.org/health-care/surveys_tools/mos/36-item-short-form/survey-instrument.html

 

Well, yeah, it was loudly argued by the disabled community how the pandemic had made some things more accessible. It's actually remarkable that they'd miss this entirely, I'm sure this information was volunteered by the people they talked to.

You scream at a wall and the wall responds "uh?", then returns to sleep.

 

For me a big advantage of lock down during the pandemic was that it became much easier to restrict my activity levels, also other people became much better at contacting me on line. So my experience that pacing was easier and my social online improved would presumably also transfer to people with fibromyalgia.