Biographic risk factors and mental disorders in fibromyalgia

Patients with fibromyalgia are compared with rheumatoid arthritis and coxarthrosis patients respecting biographic risk factors and comorbidity (mental disorders), As expected, in fibromyalgia there are higher biographic risk factors and more mental disorders than in the other groups. Moreover, there is a positive relation between mental disorders and biographic risk factors in fibromyalgia. Therefore patients with fibromyalgia are no uniform group, but can be divided in at least two subgroups: One subgroup with high biographic risk factors and mental disorders and another subgroup without increased biographic risk factors and without comorbidity (mental disorders). Consequences for psychosomatic theories are discussed.