[Epidemiology and sociodemographic characterization of the fibromyalgia in Comunidad Valenciana].

Objective: The elevated prevalence of the fibromyalgia and its polypathologic clinic suppose an important Public Health problem in Spain. The purpose of this study was to carry out an approach of the syndrome's epidemiology, with the finality of collaborate in the scientific knowledge progress of the people who suffer fibromyalgia, in this case, through the sociodemographic analysis of Comunidad Valenciana patients, in Spain.
Methods: It was done an epidemiologic descriptive transversal study, by extractions and analysis of epidemiological variables in official resources of health information of Comunidad Valenciana (Abucasis II, SIA, GAIA, SIP, SIE). The study presented two different analysis processes: the first one was the exam of the fibromyalgia prevalence evolution of the whole Comunidad Valenciana, considering the totality of diagnosed people between 2012 and 2016. The second one, supposed the sociodemographic characterization of people who are affected with fibromyalgia, using a sample of 9,267 people with active diagnostic of the disease in one of the 25 health department of the valencian public system, observing variables such as age, sex, origin, asistenciality, labour activity and economic level. The datum statistic treatment was descriptive univariable and it was made with percentage values of means, median and mode. The confidence interval for the average when required was set at 95 percent.
Results: Fibromyalgia was an elevated prevalence disease in Comunidad Valenciana (3.7%) in the study's period, establishing itself above the world media prevalence studied, Europe or Spain. What is more, it presented a special gravity in the male prevalence. Its evolution reflected a growth year-to-year of the order of 28 percent, with an average incidence rate of 5.39 new cases per thousand inhabitants / year. It specially affected women (it had it the 63% of the sample) and the average age of 54 years. Besides, people with fibromyalgia presented low economic levels and laboural difficulties defined by low employment rate, the elevated unemployment rate and the frequency and length of their work leaves.
Conclusions: Fibromyalgia has a special epidemiological importance in Comunidad Valenciana, with a high prevalence and incidence. In its basic sociodemography we found an elevated percent of women with ages between 51 and 70 years, but also, we find a male prevalence of special consideration comparatively with other studies. We observe an important reduce of the socioeconomic and sociodemographic conditions between fibromyalgia diagnosed people.
Competing Interests: Disclosure The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.