We investigated the relationship of fibromyalgia (FM) tender points to other manifestations of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
Sixty-seven RA patients completed questionnaires at study entry and described symptoms, emotionally significant events, and mood every evening for 75 days. Joint and tender point examinations were conducted every 2 weeks.
Controlling for joint tenderness, the tender point count correlated with the degree of daily stress. Depression was not significantly related when daily stress was controlled for.
We conclude that FM tender point counts correlate uniquely with RA patients' reports of daily stress.