The study, published in the Journal of Rheumatology International (2005, vol. 25, no. 3), evaluated the oxidant/antioxidant balance in fibromyalgia patients. Researchers from Mersin University Medical School in Turkey, analyzed data from 85 female fibromyalgia patients, matched with 80 healthy women. The scientists recorded the participants' malondialdehyde (a free radical marker) and superoxide dismutase (an antioxidant marker) levels, pain assessment, age, smoking, and duration of disease.
Researchers found that malondialdehyde levels were significantly higher and superoxide dismutase levels were significantly lower in fibromyalgia patients, compared with the control subjects. Age, BMI, smoking, and duration of disease did not modify the results. "Increased free radical levels may be responsible for the development of fibromyalgia," the study authors conclude. "These findings may support the hypothesis of fibromyalgia as an oxidative disorder."
Posted by Kristopher Foster on February 20, 2006 06:54 PM
