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The following is a summary of “Evaluation of clinical impact of Interleukin 8 gene expression in patients with fibromyalgia,” published in the April 2025 issue of Advances in Rheumatology by Amorim et al. 

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain syndrome with associated symptoms like fatigue, depression, and sleep disorders. Previous studies have shown increased interleukin (IL) levels in FM; however, the role of IL-8 mRNA expression remains unclear. 

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to evaluate the impact of IL8 mRNA expression on clinical parameters in patients with FM (FMG) compared to a control group (CG). 

They evaluated patients diagnosed with FM at the rheumatology service of the Hospital das Clínicas of the Federal University of Pernambuco (HC-UFPE). The CG consisted of individuals without chronic pain, including patient companions and hospital employees. Clinical and demographic data were collected, and questionnaires for fatigue (FACIT-F), FM impact (FIQ-R), depression (BDI), and sleep (NRS) were applied to both groups. Peripheral blood was collected for IL8 gene expression analysis through real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). 

The results showed that patients with FM had a lower frequency of IL8 gene expression compared to the CG, but FMG presented higher expression. No association was found between IL8 expression and FIQ-R indices, sleep disturbance, BMI, or fatigue. However, IL8 expression was associated with moderate depression (P = 0.002) and physical activity (P = 0.039), where FMG patients with IL8 expression practiced less physical activity. 

Investigators found that patients in FMG did not have a higher frequency of IL8 expression compared to CG. However, patients with IL8 expression had a greater association with moderate depression. 

Source: advancesinrheumatology.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s42358-025-00453-8