Objective: To evaluate the associations among serum vitamin D levels, pain severity, body mass index (BMI), and psychological symptoms (depression, anxiety, stress) in women with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) compared to healthy controls. Material and Methods: A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted involving 90 female FMS patients and 90 healthy controls. Pain severity was assessed using the visual analog scale, and psychological distress was measured via the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21. Serum vitamin D levels and BMI were also recorded. Group differences were analyzed using independent samples t-tests, while associations among continuous variables were examined using Pearson's correlation analyses. Results: The FMS group showed significantly higher levels of depression (p<0.001), anxiety (p<0.001), stress (p<0.001), and pain (p<0.001), alongside markedly lower serum vitamin D levels (p<0.001) than the control group. Serum vitamin D concentrations showed moderate inverse associations with BMI (r=-0.466, p<0.001) and age (r=-0.413, p<0.001). Psychological parameters were highly interrelated and demonstrated weak-to-moderate links with pain intensity. Conclusion: Vitamin D deficiency and elevated BMI are prevalent among women with FMS and appear to be associated with increased psychological burden and pain severity. These findings underscore the clinical importance of metabolic screening and integrative care approaches in the management of FMS.
Çevreli et al. (Thu,) studied this question.