PREVALENCE OF FIBROMYALGIA AMONG MEDICAL STUDENTS AND ITS IMPACT ON THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Introduction: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a multifaceted chronic pain syndrome characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, cognitive impairment, psychiatric disorders, and sleep disturbances. Medical students, subjected to high stressand demanding schedules, may be particularly susceptible to FM, yet its prevalence and impact on their quality of life remain underexplored. Aim of Work: To investigate the prevalence of FM among medical students using the 2016 modified ACR criteria, and to identify possible associated factors, including sociodemographic and academic characteristics, lifestyle habits, sleeping patterns, and chronic comorbidities. Also, the study investigated the impact of FM on participants’ quality of life. Materials and Methods: Analytical cross-sectional study was conducted among 300 medical students randomly selected through stratified sampling method. An interview questionnaire was used for diagnosis of FM according to 2016 ACR criteria, while quality of life was evaluated by the standardized WHO brief Quality of Life Scale. Results: FM wasprevalent among 14.7% of study participants, female gender, poor physical activity, positive family history, sleeping disturbances and chronic comorbidities were the main significant risk factors. Affected students reported symptoms such as headaches (88.6%), abdominal pain (90.9%), and depressive mood (86.4%), with moderate severity in fatigue (59.1%) and cognitive issues (40.9%). FM has a strong negative impact on all aspects of quality of life including physical, psychological and social functioning. Logistic regression identified younger age, female gender, and poor physical exercise as significant predictors. Conclusion and Recommendations: A considerable percentage of medical students (14.7%) suffered from FM, which significantly impacted their quality of life in all domains. Urgent need is required to increase awareness and institutional support for affected students.