The Role of IL-8 in Patients With Fibromyalgia A Prospective Longitudinal Study of 6 Months

Objective: In this prospective longitudinal clinical study, we evaluated the role of proinflammatory cytokine IL-8 and its clinical relevance in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) who fulfilled clearly defined inclusion and exclusion criteria and underwent a 3-week inpatients multidisciplinary pain therapy. Methods: IL-8 in sera was measured in 20 patients with FM and 80 healthy participants at 4 fixed time points: at the beginning of the Study, at 10 days, 21 days, and 6 months, respectively. Paul intensity, back function, depression, nicotine/alcohol consumption, and medication were assessed in the patient group and correlated with IL-8 levels. Results: Before and during the inpatient therapy, the serum level of IL-8 was significantly higher in patients with FM compared with controls (P < 0.001), but did not correlated with pain intensity and medication. Already at Tl there was a significant reduction of IL-8 serum It 1). et level (P = 0.023) in patient group. Six months after multidisciplinary pain therapy, IL-8 serum level in FM patients was still significantly higher than controls (P = 0.044) but reduced approximately to normal range and correlated significantly negatively with pain intensity (r = 0.782, P = 0.001). Patients with FM had significantly less pain (P < 0.001) kind better back function (P < 0.001) at day 2 than at clay 0. In addition, in patients with FM, IL-8 serum level correlated with nicotine consumption (r = 0.471, P = 0.042). Conclusions: Our results suggest that IL-8 level contributes in patients with FM whose pain intensity and back function Call be improved Under influence of multidisciplinary pain therapy without need of an anti-IL-8 therapy.