Funding Programme/ Agency: PROGRAMA ESTATAL PARA IMPULSAR LA INVESTIGACIÓN CIENTÍFICO-TÉCNICA Y SU TRANSFERENCIA/Agencia Estatal De Investigación

Acronym: FIBRO

Institution: Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC)

Project type: 2024.01 MICIN Proyectos I+D+i Pruebas de Concepto 2023 (Plan Estatal)

Implementation period: 1/9/2024-31/08/2027

PROJECT SUMMARY:

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic disorder causing widespread pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbances, affecting 2-4% globally, predominantly women (96.6% in Spain). Spain has 1.1 million FM patients, with an average age of 52 and a disease duration of 15 years. FM imposes a substantial economic burden, costing Spain €8,000-€10,000 annually per patient, mainly due to indirect costs. Diagnosis is often delayed by ~6 years, leading to patient frustration. FM’s definition, pathogenesis, and treatment are debated, with skepticism among physicians and complex physiopathology theories (central sensitization, neuropathic, nociplastic pain). Diagnosis is clinical, based on pain and symptom severity, as identified by the presence of 11/18 pain spots,
according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) guidelines
. Biomarker identification remains elusive, and it has been the target of research for the last 25 years. Management includes non-pharmacological (exercise, CBT) and limited efficacy pharmacological therapies, leaving many with chronic symptoms and low satisfaction. This study aims to identify and validate clusters of EEG- and EMG-based biomarkers that may be useful for diagnosing FM and for assessing and monitoring FM symptoms during treatment.