Perceived and endocrine acute and chronic stress indicators in fibromyalgia syndrome

Abstract Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and tenderness and closely associated with high levels of stress. FMS is therefore often considered a stress-related disease. A comparative study was conducted with 99 individuals dia...

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Main Authors: Eva Beiner, Michelle Hermes, Julian Reichert, Kristian Kleinke, Stephanie Vock, Annette Löffler, Leonie Ader, Andrei Sirazitdinov, Sebastian Keil, Tim Schmidt, Anita Schick, Martin Löffler, Michael Hopp, Christian Ruckes, Jürgen Hesser, Ulrich Reininghaus, Herta Flor, Wolfgang Eich, Hans-Christoph Friederich, Jonas Tesarz
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2024-12-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-76635-z
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author Eva Beiner
Michelle Hermes
Julian Reichert
Kristian Kleinke
Stephanie Vock
Annette Löffler
Leonie Ader
Andrei Sirazitdinov
Sebastian Keil
Tim Schmidt
Anita Schick
Martin Löffler
Michael Hopp
Christian Ruckes
Jürgen Hesser
Ulrich Reininghaus
Herta Flor
Wolfgang Eich
Hans-Christoph Friederich
Jonas Tesarz
author_facet Eva Beiner
Michelle Hermes
Julian Reichert
Kristian Kleinke
Stephanie Vock
Annette Löffler
Leonie Ader
Andrei Sirazitdinov
Sebastian Keil
Tim Schmidt
Anita Schick
Martin Löffler
Michael Hopp
Christian Ruckes
Jürgen Hesser
Ulrich Reininghaus
Herta Flor
Wolfgang Eich
Hans-Christoph Friederich
Jonas Tesarz
author_sort Eva Beiner
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and tenderness and closely associated with high levels of stress. FMS is therefore often considered a stress-related disease. A comparative study was conducted with 99 individuals diagnosed with FMS and a control group of 50 pain-free individuals. Stress indicators were classified into three categories: perceived stress assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale, and daily average salivary cortisol and hair cortisol concentrations as indicators of acute and chronic stress levels related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Analysis of variance and covariance were used to identify group differences and the influence of covariates age, sex, and body mass index. Correlational analyses further elucidated the relationship between stress indicators and clinical symptoms. Participants with FMS reported significantly higher perceived stress levels than controls (p < .001, ηp 2 = 0.3), which were positively correlated with symptom burden (r = .41, p < .001). In contrast, there were no significant differences in the endocrinological stress indicators salivary and hair cortisol between the groups (p > .05), nor were these indicators associated with clinical symptoms. The study highlights the central role of perceived stress in FMS, whereas endocrinological indicators did not differentiate FMS from controls. This finding calls for a nuanced approach to clinical assessment and therapeutic interventions tailored to patients with FMS, emphasizing the management of perceived stressors.
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spelling doaj-art-9d57dccb589c4960bc090d7bfc3637d82025-08-20T01:59:48ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222024-12-0114111310.1038/s41598-024-76635-zPerceived and endocrine acute and chronic stress indicators in fibromyalgia syndromeEva Beiner0Michelle Hermes1Julian Reichert2Kristian Kleinke3Stephanie Vock4Annette Löffler5Leonie Ader6Andrei Sirazitdinov7Sebastian Keil8Tim Schmidt9Anita Schick10Martin Löffler11Michael Hopp12Christian Ruckes13Jürgen Hesser14Ulrich Reininghaus15Herta Flor16Wolfgang Eich17Hans-Christoph Friederich18Jonas Tesarz19Department of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg UniversityDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg UniversityDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg UniversityDepartment of Psychology, University of SiegenDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg UniversityInstitute of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg UniversityDepartment of Public Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg UniversityData Analysis and Modeling in Medicine, Mannheim Institute for Intelligent Systems in Medicine (MIISM), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg UniversityInstitute of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg UniversityDepartment of Public Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg UniversityDepartment of Public Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg UniversityInstitute of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg UniversityInterdisciplinary Center for Clinical Trials, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center MainzInterdisciplinary Center for Clinical Trials, Johannes Gutenberg University Medical Center MainzData Analysis and Modeling in Medicine, Mannheim Institute for Intelligent Systems in Medicine (MIISM), Medical Faculty Mannheim, Heidelberg UniversityDepartment of Public Mental Health, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg UniversityInstitute of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg UniversityDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg UniversityDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg UniversityDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Heidelberg UniversityAbstract Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a chronic disorder characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue and tenderness and closely associated with high levels of stress. FMS is therefore often considered a stress-related disease. A comparative study was conducted with 99 individuals diagnosed with FMS and a control group of 50 pain-free individuals. Stress indicators were classified into three categories: perceived stress assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale, and daily average salivary cortisol and hair cortisol concentrations as indicators of acute and chronic stress levels related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Analysis of variance and covariance were used to identify group differences and the influence of covariates age, sex, and body mass index. Correlational analyses further elucidated the relationship between stress indicators and clinical symptoms. Participants with FMS reported significantly higher perceived stress levels than controls (p < .001, ηp 2 = 0.3), which were positively correlated with symptom burden (r = .41, p < .001). In contrast, there were no significant differences in the endocrinological stress indicators salivary and hair cortisol between the groups (p > .05), nor were these indicators associated with clinical symptoms. The study highlights the central role of perceived stress in FMS, whereas endocrinological indicators did not differentiate FMS from controls. This finding calls for a nuanced approach to clinical assessment and therapeutic interventions tailored to patients with FMS, emphasizing the management of perceived stressors.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-76635-zFibromyalgia SyndromePerceived stressEndocrine stress indicators
spellingShingle Eva Beiner
Michelle Hermes
Julian Reichert
Kristian Kleinke
Stephanie Vock
Annette Löffler
Leonie Ader
Andrei Sirazitdinov
Sebastian Keil
Tim Schmidt
Anita Schick
Martin Löffler
Michael Hopp
Christian Ruckes
Jürgen Hesser
Ulrich Reininghaus
Herta Flor
Wolfgang Eich
Hans-Christoph Friederich
Jonas Tesarz
Perceived and endocrine acute and chronic stress indicators in fibromyalgia syndrome
Scientific Reports
Fibromyalgia Syndrome
Perceived stress
Endocrine stress indicators
title Perceived and endocrine acute and chronic stress indicators in fibromyalgia syndrome
title_full Perceived and endocrine acute and chronic stress indicators in fibromyalgia syndrome
title_fullStr Perceived and endocrine acute and chronic stress indicators in fibromyalgia syndrome
title_full_unstemmed Perceived and endocrine acute and chronic stress indicators in fibromyalgia syndrome
title_short Perceived and endocrine acute and chronic stress indicators in fibromyalgia syndrome
title_sort perceived and endocrine acute and chronic stress indicators in fibromyalgia syndrome
topic Fibromyalgia Syndrome
Perceived stress
Endocrine stress indicators
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-76635-z
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