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Abstract

Several pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments can be used to alleviate the symptoms of fibromyalgia, although none of them are completely effective at present. In this study, we analyzed the effectiveness of different therapies in three groups of people diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The sample for this randomized controlled trial was made up of 66 people diagnosed with fibromyalgia in southern Catalonia. In turn, this sample was divided into three groups of 22 participants each, who were treated with: i) cervical infiltration with botulinum toxin, ii) group problem-solving therapy, or iii) both therapies. The variables recorded were quality of life, suicidal thoughts, perception of pain, quality of sleep, and satisfaction. Female patients composed 96.9% (n=64) of the study sample. Satisfaction with the infiltration was 5.1 �± 2.7 points, while in group problem-solving therapy it was 6.6�±3.2. Selfperceived health in the infiltration group (p=0.016) and the therapy group (p=0.001) improved after the intervention took place. The risk of suicide decreased in the both treatments/groups (p=0.049). Pain was reduced by 31.8% with infiltration, 13.6% with therapy, and 22.7% with both treatments. Anxiety/depression decreased by 45% with therapy, 36.3% with infiltration, and 36.3% with both treatments. The results also showed that the use of both treatments significantly reduces suicidal thoughts (p=0.049). In conclusion, this study showed the complexity of reducing chronic pain and increasing the quality of life of people with fibromyalgia.

Biography

Pilar Montesó Curto has completed his PhD from UNED University in Madrid and Post-doctoral studies from Finland, Denmark, Sweden and Porto. He is a teacher and researcher in the Faculty of Nursing in Rovira I Virgily University. She has been working in Primary Care for 20 years as a nurse. He has published more than 25 papers in reputed journals and has been serving as a reviewer for international journals. He is a member of the research group of the URV Caring nursing, International Group on Mental Health Nursing. The Lines of research: gender and mental health, fibromyalgia, depression, suicide, violence, values, social inequalities, helping relationship.

Email: mariapilar.monteso@urv.cat