OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare the interstitial concentrations of pyruvate, lactate and glutamate in the trapezius muscle between patients with fibromyalgia syndrome and healthy controls. DESIGN: Comparative cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: Patients with fibromyalgia (n = 19) and healthy controls (n = 19); all women. METHODS: Subjects answered a questionnaire about different aspects of pain. Pressure pain thresholds over the trapezius and tibialis anterior muscles were determined. The inter-stitial concentrations of pyruvate, lactate and glutamate were determined in the resting trapezius muscle by the microdialysis technique, with samples collected every hour for 5 consecutive hours. Pain intensity was also rated. RESULTS: Significantly higher interstitial concentrations of pyruvate and lactate were found in patients with fibromyalgia- syndrome. The multivariate regression analyses of group membership and pressure pain thresholds of the trapezius confirmed the importance of pyruvate and lactate. CONCLUSION: Different mechanisms that may increase pyruvate and lactate in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome are discussed. Improved understanding of peripheral muscle alterations in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome could lead to mechanism-based rehabilitation.
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Gerdle et al. (2010) studied this question.