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Fibromyalgia Syndrome in an Amish Community:
A Controlled Study to Determine Disease and Symptom Prevalence
KEVIN P. WHITE and JOHN THOMPSON
ABSTRACT.
Methods. We surveyed 242 Amish adults in a small rural community southeast of London, Ontario, Canada. Individuals were screened using a validated screening instrument. Those reporting chronic, widespread pain were examined for FM using published classification criteria. Amish results were compared to results collected in a random telephone survey of 492 non-Amish adults living in rural Southwestern Ontario and 3395 non-Amish adults previously surveyed in London. Results. Pain lasting at least one week in the preceding 3 months was reported by 34.3% of the Amish; pain in the upper extremities by 25.4%, in the lower extremities by 22.5%, and in the trunk by 28.1%. Twenty-six (15 women, 11 men) reported chronic, widespread pain. Eleven FM cases were confirmed among women (age adjusted point prevalence, p = 10.4%) and 2 among men (p = 3.7%) for an overall age and sex adjusted prevalence of 7.3% (95% CI 5.3, 9.7); this was both statistically greater than zero (p < 0.0001) and greater than in either control population (both p < 0.05). Conclusion. FM is relatively common among the Amish. (J Rheumatol 2003;30:1835-40) Key Indexing Terms:
FIBROMYALGIA
From the Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, and the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. K.P. White, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Departments of Medicine and Epidemiology and Biostatistics; J. Thompson, MD, Professor, Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics. Address reprint requests to Dr. K.P. White, Monsignor Roney Building, Division of Rheumatology, 268 Grosvenor Street, London, Ontario N6A 4V2, Canada. Submitted August 14, 2002; revision accepted January 15, 2003. |