Fibromyalgia is a condition characterized by widespread of chronic pain and allodynia, which is a painful and heightened response to pressure on the skin. The reported cases of the disease in the clinics are the main source of determining the prevalence of the disease. These studies have indicated a very high prevalence of the disease. However, the clinical sources that are used in representing the distribution, as well as the disease characteristics do not give a better representation of the whole population.
It is for this reason that Frederick Wolfe and other researchers decided to undertake a study on the understanding the characteristics and the prevalence of the fibromyalgia in the general population. The study was done in 1995 and involved five researchers from different institutions and was published in the Arthritis and Rheumatism journal. The study was headed by Frederick Wolfe from the School of Medicine in the University of Kansas together with other researchers Kathryn R., Janice A., Jon Russell and Hebert. Kathryn comes for the Arthritis Research Center in Wichita; Janice comes from the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in San Antonio while Hebert comes from St. Luke’s Medical Center located in Chicago, Illinois.
The researchers did their study by using a list of community residents purchased form the R. L. Polk and Company. Using the list introductory mails were sent to each household followed by three mailed questionnaires on issues concerning pain. The group targeted the first 3500 residents whose names appeared through a random listing. Those who did not complete the questionnaires or did not respond at all were later contacted by phone. A total number of 3,006 persons responded and were used in the characterization of the episodes of either presence of no pain, pain that is not widely spread or pain that is wide spread. There was a subsample of 391 people, which included 193 persons who had widespread pain. The group decided to have a detailed interview with this group. The clinical samples were used in order to compare with the data found from the population.
The data collected from the clinic and used as a representation of the entire population may provide information that does not represent the general situation outside the clinic. These findings provide some of the reasons as to why the clinical studies need to be coupled with a community survey. This will help in comparing the two sets of data and, therefore, coming up with a better and a more informed conclusion.
Works Cited
Wolfe, Frederick, et al. "The prevalence and characteristics of fibromyalgia in the general population." Arthritis & Rheumatism 38.1 (1995): 19–28.
