Efficacy of a Gluten-free Diet for the Treatment of Fibromyalgia

Overview

Fibromyalgia patients frequently suffer from symptoms similar to those of adult celiac disease, raising the possibility that some fibromyalgia patients experience oligosymptomatic celiac disease or non-celiac gluten intolerance. The objective of this study is to compare the effect of a gluten-free diet with a hypocaloric diet in patients with fibromyalgia and celiac-type symptoms.

Fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder, is characterized by generalized chronic musculoskeletal pain that is usually accompanied by several other clinical manifestations that contribute to a diminished quality of life, such as sleep disturbances, chronic fatigue, mood disorders, and cognitive difficulties. Many patients with fibromyalgia suffer from gastrointestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms that are similar to those experienced by adult celiac disease patients such as abdominal pain, dyspepsia, nausea, diarrhea, constipation, fatigue, pain and mood changes. This raises the possibility that some patients with fibromyalgia may also suffer from oligosymptomatic celiac disease or non-celiac gluten intolerance. On the other hand, the emerging evidence linking obesity with fibromyalgia and the high prevalence of overweight among fibromyalgia patients suggest a potential benefit for weight loss among these patients. Thus, the main objective of this study is to compare the efficacy of a gluten-free diet (GFD) with a hypocaloric diet (HCD) in patients with fibromyalgia that also experience celiac-type symptoms.

Conditions

Interventions

Eligibility

Locations (1)

Outcomes