Women Veterans, a Population at Risk for Fibromyalgia: The Associations Between Fibromyalgia, Symptoms, and Quality of Life

ABSTRACT Background: The Institute of Federal Health Care recently published an executive summary from a round table discussion indicating that active duty and retired female military personnel are at high risk for adverse health outcomes unique to military service including complications related to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), unreported sexual trauma, and musculoskeletal problems. In 2008, the Institute of Medicine began to review, evaluate, and summarize the literature on health outcomes in Gulf War-deployed and found sufficient evidence of a causal relationship with PTSD and suggestive evidence of an association with fibromyalgia (FM). This study examines the prevalence and impact of FM in women veterans and to explore the association between other comorbidities to improve risk differentiation for treatment and improve outcomes. Methods: This study is designed as a nested, cross-sectional study within a larger project funded by the U.S. Army at the University of South Florida, College of Nur...