New Survey Suggests Hidden Burden of Chronic Pain in Fibromyalgia Patients in Asia

28 Oct 2009

Bangkok--28 Oct--Weber Shandwick

Fibromyalgia is chronic pain that is commonly overlooked because of a complex of symptoms, leading to delays in diagnosis

A new South East Asian survey of 506 people with fibromyalgia and 941 physicians shows that fibromyalgia is a poorly understood and debilitating, chronic, widespread pain condition, which negatively impacts people’s quality of life. Lengthy diagnosis times are a particular issue for sufferers. Patients wait 3.3–15.4 months and have an average of two physician visits before receiving an accurate diagnosis. The survey also reveals people with fibromyalgia experience serious financial consequences from the condition, including an inability to work. As such, the impact on their quality of life is immeasurable.

The Fibromyalgia Pain Management Alliance (FPMA) released these new findings in the SE Asia FACTS (South East Asia Fibromyalgia Awareness, Concerns and Trends Survey) report today to coincide with the World Congress of Neurology (WCN). The FPMA is a multidisciplinary group of specialists from Asia Pacific.

“SE Asia FACTS is the first survey of its kind. Its findings are important because they show us where we are now in dealing with fibromyalgia. We appreciate this survey because it yielded much fruitful information. Such new data are welcome, as they point us towards the right direction to meet the needs of our society,” said Associate Professor Pradit Prateepavanich, President of the Thai Association for the Study of Pain. “I hope the awareness of our report findings helps start a dialogue on how to improve the diagnosis and management of people with fibromyalgia in Asia.”

Fibromyalgia is one of the most common, chronic, widespread pain conditions and affects 40 million people worldwide. Updated scientific data support the concept of “neuronal hyper-excitability of both pain processing and emotional areas in the brain”. This explains why fibromyalgia patients are more sensitive to pain, why their pain is more severe than in other people, why pain distribution is widespread, and why patients have a very poor response to stress. Fibromyalgia is usually accompanied by poor sleep, stiffness and fatigue, along with other comorbidities. Women are more commonly affected; the female to male ratio of fibromyalgia is 9:1. Due to symptoms in many areas of the body, it is common for fibromyalgia patients to see multiple doctors.

Negative impact on patients’ quality of life

According to the survey results, at least 1 in 5 patients reported the overall quality of their lives was either ‘very strongly’ or ‘strongly’ impacted by fibromyalgia, with many saying their physical mobility, overall mood and ability to care for family as most impacted. Work suffers, with 70% of patients in Indonesia and Thailand stating fibromyalgia has affected the quality of their work.

Financial burden of fibromyalgia

In addition, almost 60% of Thai patients and at least 20% of those in the four other countries surveyed said they can only work ‘sometimes’ and do not earn as much as they used to because of fibromyalgia. Across all countries, 1 in 5 employed patients missed 2 to 5 days of work, over the past year, due to fibromyalgia.

Many months and multiple physician visits before patients receive diagnosis of fibromyalgia

Around 60% of patients in Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand, and 30% of patients in Malaysia and Singapore said it was difficult to secure a fibromyalgia diagnosis. Patients waited 5.5 to 15.4 months before seeing a physician after first experiencing symptoms and, once diagnosis was sought, they waited an additional 7.3 to 9.5 months to receive a diagnosis. Patients in all surveyed countries saw an average of two physicians before diagnosis.

Physicians not familiar with the diagnostic criteria of fibromyalgia

The pathophysiology of fibromyalgia is a relatively new concept. As such, the lack of familiarity with fibromyalgia is common, with a large proportion of general practitioners (GPs) in Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand reporting they are either ‘not very’ or ‘not at all’ familiar with the condition. GPs carry a high proportion of this burden, with more than half of them not confident about developing treatment plans or managing their patients. At least 30% of specialists have similar doubts over their ability to manage patients over the long term. The majority of physicians, however, report receiving little or no fibromyalgia training. No more than 3 in 10 specialists and a quarter of GPs consider physicians well trained to diagnose and treat fibromyalgia.

“Showing that chronic pain in fibromyalgia is an unfamiliar topic, the survey findings suggest that physicians across Asia need more experience and training in managing patients with fibromyalgia. This is likely to contribute further to delays in the diagnosis and treatment of the condition,” said Dr Henry Lu, Head of Makati Pain Control Clinic, Makati Medical Center, Philippines. “It is important that the medical community now take steps to provide physicians in the region with the education, training and support they need to help manage patients with fibromyalgia.”

Notes to editor:

About the survey

The Fibromyalgia Pain Management Alliance, underwritten by Pfizer Inc, developed the South East Asia Fibromyalgia Awareness, Concerns and Trends Survey (SE Asia FACTS) to assess the impact of fibromyalgia on patients’ lives, identify barriers to diagnosis, explore physician and patient attitudes toward the condition and understand perceptions of currently available treatments. The survey was supported by Pfizer Inc. The survey includes data from 941 physicians and 506 patients from Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. Data were collected from June through August 2009, with all interviews conducted face to face in English or in the local language. To qualify, patients had to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia by a physician. Participating physicians, including general practitioners (GPs), rheumatologists, neurologists, pain specialists and psychiatrists, were randomly sampled and invited to participate in the survey.

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