End Fatigue

Are People with Fibromyalgia More Likely to Die from Cancer?

My experience with treating over 3000 CFS/FMS patients and this corroborating study says the answer is NO :-)

Like a circuit breaker in a home, CFS and Fibromyalgia actually protect you from harm by taking you “out of the game” until you restore proper energy production. Recently, one study (which most of the doctors I know who work with CFS disagreed with) raised the incorrect concern that cancer is more common in people with CFS. This newer study confirms that there is NO increased cancer risk, confirming what we’ve known for decades.

PMID: 17189245
Rheumatology Advance Access published online on December 22, 2006
Rheumatology, doi:10.1093/rheumatology

Is the report of widespread body pain associated with long-term increased mortality? Data from the Mini-Finland Health Survey.

G. J. Macfarlane, G. T. Jones, P. Knekt, A. Aromaa, J. McBeth, M. Mikkelsson and M. Heliovaara

Aberdeen Pain Research Collaboration (Epidemiology Group), University of Aberdeen, Scotland, UK, National Public Health Institute, Helsinki, Finland, Arthritis Research Campaign Epidemiology Unit, Division of Epidemiology and Health Sciences, University of Manchester, England, UK and Department of Rehabilitation, The Rheumatism Foundation Hospital, Heinola, Finland

Correspondence to: Prof. Gary J. Macfarlane, Epidemiology Group, Department of Public Health, School of Medicine, Polwarth Building, Forresterhill, Aberdeen, Scotland, AB25 2ZD, UK. E-mail: g.j.macfarlane@abdn.ac.uk

Abstract

Objective. To determine whether an observation in a UK study, that persons with chronic widespread pain are at long-term increased risk of cancer mortality, can be replicated in a different setting.

Methods. Subjects were participants aged 30 yrs in the Mini-Finland Health Survey conducted between 1979 and 1980. Information collected included prevalent pains at different joints throughout the body, demographic, anthropometric, lifestyle and occupational factors. During follow-up, until 1994, information on vital status and cause of death was obtained.

Results. 7182 persons participated (89.8%). The prevalence of widespread body pain (pain at four or more sites) was 20% in females and 12% in males, and during follow-up there were a total of 1647 deaths. The risk of death was not elevated amongst those with widespread pain [relative risk (RR): 0.86; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.74–1.00], and in particular, those with widespread pain were at a slightly lower risk of several disease-specific causes of death and cancer death (RR: 0.64; 95% CI: 0.46–0.91).

Conclusions. This study of multiple pains has not confirmed a previous observation of an association between the reporting of widespread pain and subsequent increased risk of cancer death. Differences in the definitions used or, more probably, the population studied, in particular, a larger rural population with more multiple pains related to physical activity may account for the differences.