Introduction

fibromyalgia (FM) is a clinical syndrome that manifests itself with generalized pain in the body, mainly in the muscles. In addition to this symptom, FM is associated with: fatigue, non-restorative sleep, cognitive disorders, anxiety, depression and intestinal disorders. It is hypothesized that chronic oxidative stress (OS) may be a risk factor for neural damage that leads to FM. However, studies that have already been published have evaluated different markers and present controversial results about FM, which raises the need for further research.

Aims

To evaluate the biomarkers of EO, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), non-protein thiols (NP-SH) and thiobarbituric acid reactive species (TBARS) in patients with FM before starting pharmacological treatment. To describe the sociodemographic characteristics, the most prevalent symptoms, and to analyze the correlation between biochemical analyzes and OS biomarkers.

Materials and methods

This is a cross- sectional, quantitative, analytical and observational study. The sample consisted of female patients from a private clinic, including 9 patients with fibromyalgia, 9 negative controls, and 9 positive controls.

Results

TBARS was higher in the FM group, and there was a correlation between SOD and NP-SH variables in this population. It is also noteworthy that CAT and SOD enzymes, and NP-SH levels, were normal in patients with FM. The most reported symptom was generalized pain and tiredness and creatinine levels were statistically lower in the FM group.

Conclusions

Despite normal levels of antioxidant enzymes, fibromyalgia patients had high levels of lipid peroxidation.