A County Population of Males Given the Diagnosis of Fibromyalgia Syndrome–Comparison with Fibromyalgia Syndrome Females Regarding Pain, Fatigue, Anxiety, and Depression: The Nord-Trøndelag Health Study [The HUNT Study]

Objectives: For reasons that remain poorly understood, the fibromyalgia syndrome [FMS] affects women more frequently than men. As a result of this strong female preponderance, the research in FMS mainly has involved females, and studies addressing sex differences are limited. This study explored the prevalence and the relationship of anxiety and depression with pain and fatigue in males given the diagnosis of FMS, and investigated differences between males and females with FMS in an unselected adult county population.Methods: Participants were recruited from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study [The HUNT Study] in Norway [N = 92,936]. A total of 2,093 participants were included. All reported being given the diagnosis of FMS by their doctor [277 males, 1,816 females].Results: Significant partial correlations were found in males of anxiety and depression with fatigue, and extremity pain was associated with anxiety. The odds of being female increased by 120 percent when a participant reported pain last year, and by 112 percent with anxiety, whereas it dropped to 85 percent with depression.Conclusion: The role of anxiety and depression in FMS appeared related to gender and should be further investigated.