Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42630211›Full record

ArticleFrontiers in medicine2026

Prior COVID-19 infection and fibromyalgia criteria fulfillment: a comparative cross-sectional study.

Mustafa Alhayali, Sami Salman, Mustafa A Shahrori, Aya Ahmed Shimal, Marafi Jammaa Ahmed, Marwah Al-Mashhadani, Zainab Shukur, Noor Alfirtusi, Ahmed Dheyaa Al-Obaidi

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Article in Frontiers in medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Mustafa AlhayaliDepartment of Rheumatology, Ibn Sina University of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Baghdad, Iraq.
Sami SalmanDepartment of Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq.
Mustafa A ShahroriFaculty of Medicine, An-Najah National University, Nablus, Palestine.
Aya Ahmed ShimalCollege of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq.
Marafi Jammaa AhmedFaculty of Medicine, University of Bahri, Khartoum, Sudan.
Marwah Al-MashhadaniInternal Medicine Department, Aldujail Hospital, Salahaldin, Iraq.
Zainab ShukurDepartment of Internal Medicine, West Anaheim Medical Center, Anaheim, CA, United States.
Noor AlfirtusiHeart and Vascular Consultants DMC, Associate Retinal Consultants, Royal Oak, MI, United States.
Ahmed Dheyaa Al-ObaidiCollege of Medicine, University of Baghdad, Baghdad, Iraq.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic widespread pain syndrome frequently accompanied by fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, psychological symptoms, and multiple somatic symptoms. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has affected millions worldwide; however, its long-term sequelae remain incompletely understood. Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether prior COVID-19 infection was associated with a higher prevalence of fibromyalgia and to identify demographic and clinical factors associated with fibromyalgia in the study population. Subjects and methods: This comparative cross-sectional study included 250 individuals with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 at least 3 months before assessment and 250 participants without a known history of confirmed COVID-19 infection. Data were collected at a single time point using a structured questionnaire and interview. Fibromyalgia status was defined as fulfillment of the modified 2016 American College of Rheumatology criteria. Results: Fibromyalgia criteria were fulfilled by 60/250 participants (24.0%) with prior COVID-19 infection compared with 35/250 participants (14.0%) in the comparison group. In crude analysis, prior COVID-19 infection was associated with higher odds of fibromyalgia criteria fulfillment (OR = 1.94, 95% CI: 1.22-3.07, Conclusion: Prior COVID-19 infection remained associated with higher odds of modified 2016 ACR fibromyalgia criteria fulfillment. Female sex and non-employment were also associated with fibromyalgia criteria fulfillment, highlighting the need for clinical awareness and early recognition of fibromyalgia-like symptoms among individuals with a history of COVID-19 infection.

Indexed as

American College of Rheumatology criteriachronic widespread paincomparative cross-sectional studyCOVID-19fibromyalgiaprior COVID-19 infectionSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID42630211
PMCPMC13493300

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.