ArticleClinical rheumatology2022
Gender influence on clinical manifestations, depressive symptoms and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) serum levels in patients affected by fibromyalgia.
Article in Clinical rheumatology, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Gender disparities in cognitive impairment across neurological autoimmune disorders: a systematic review.Frontiers in neurology · 2025Pooled it
- Brain-derived neurotrophic factor in fibromyalgia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of its role as a potential biomarker.PloS one · 2023Pooled it
- The impact of sex and gender on Fibromyalgia Syndrome: data from the Italian Fibromyalgia Registry.Internal and emergency medicine · 2026Article
- Persistent Physical Symptoms and Psychosomatic Profiling in Fibromyalgia: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Pain Management Unit.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Bear Bile Powder Alleviates Corticosterone-induced Depression-like Behavior in Female Mice by Protecting Hippocampal Neurons via the BDNF/TrkB/ CREB Pathway.Current pharmaceutical design · 2026Article
- Tauroursodeoxycholic acid mitigates depression-like behavior and hippocampal neuronal damage in a corticosterone model of female mice.Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's archives of pharmacology · 2025Article
- Gender differences in clinical presentations and sensory profiles in patients with fibromyalgia: implications of peripheral and central mechanisms.Pain reports · 2025Article
- The Role of the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Chronic Pain: Links to Central Sensitization and Neuroinflammation.Biomolecules · 2024Review
- Mechanisms of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) for pain in patients with fibromyalgia syndrome.Frontiers in molecular neuroscience · 2024Review
- Emotional experiences and gender roles of men with fibromyalgia syndrome: a cross-cultural qualitative study.Frontiers in medicine · 2024Article
- Pain Biomarkers in Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Current Understanding and Future Directions.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Review
- Fibromyalgia Syndrome Pain in Men and Women: A Scoping Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introduction
objectivesFibromyalgia (FM) is a common rheumatic disorder characterized by chronic, widespread pain associated with several not painful symptoms. The contribution of gender to the manifestation of the disease may influence the higher prevalence of FM among women. In spite of this, how patients' gender influences the clinical manifestation of FM is still not well understood. The frequent association with neuropsychiatric symptoms raised the attention on the role of neurotrophins, including the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as potential biomarkers of the condition. Aims of the study were to evaluate the influence of gender on clinical manifestations and to investigate BDNF serum levels as a potential biomarker of FM.
methodsWe consecutively enrolled 201 adult patients of both sexes diagnosed with FM. For each patient, we collected clinical and clinimetric data and, in a subgroup of 40 patients, we measured serum BDNF levels. BDNF levels have been measured also in 40 matched healthy controls (HC).
resultsSeveral symptoms were significantly higher in women compared with men, including pain, fatigue, memory problems, tenderness, balance problems and sensitivity to environmental stimuli. On the contrary, men reported a significant higher frequency of coexisting depressive symptoms. BDNF levels were significantly lower in FM patients compared with HC, discriminating with good accuracy the condition.
conclusionGender influences FM clinical manifestations, with a higher prevalence of pain, fatigue and other common FM symptoms among women while higher frequency of neuropsychiatric symptoms among men. BDNF offers promises as a potential biomarker of the disease. Key Points • Gender-related differences in the clinical manifestations of FM may contribute to the higher prevalence of FM among females. Indeed, women show higher levels of pain and symptoms traditionally associated to FM, which are evaluated to establish the diagnosis according to the clinical criteria. • The new insights into the pathogenesis of the disease raised the attention on the role of brain mediators in FM. Among these, BNDF shows potential as a diagnostic biomarker.
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