Fatigue in primary Sjogren's syndrome: Is there a link with the fibromyalgia syndrome?

Objective-To determine whether fibromyalgia (FM) is more common in patients with primary Sjogren's syndrome (pSS) who complain of fatigue. The association and prevalence of fatigue and FM was recorded in a group of patients with PSS and a control group of lupus patients, a subset of whom had secondary Sjogren's syndrome (sSS). Methods-74 patients with pSS and 216 patients with lupus were assessed with a questionnaire to identify the presence of fatigue and generalised pain. From the lupus group, in a subset of 117 lupus patients (from the Bloomsbury unit) those with sSS were identified. All patients were studied for the presence of FM. Results-50 of 74 patients with pSS (68%) reported fatigue-a prevalence significantly higher than in the lupus group (108/216 (50%); p<0.0087). Fatigue was present in 7/13 (54%) patients with SLE/sSS. FM was present in 9/74 patients with pSS (12%), compared with 11/216 lupus patients (5%), and in none of the patients with SLE/sSS. None of these values corresponds with previously reported figures of the incidence of FM in pSS. Conclusion-The results show that fatigue in patients with PSS and sSS is not due to the coexistence of FM in most cases. A lower incidence in the United Kingdom of FM in patients with pSS was found than has been previously reported.