Tessa Schillemans

Chronic pain impacts half of the older population and is a major cause of disability. Fibromyalgia is one diagnosis for chronic pain characterized by widespread pain, fatigue and insomnia without underlying cause. Current research shows implications of fibromyalgia as a risk factor for degenerative diseases such as cardiovascular disease and dementia. Additionally, pain medication is often used to manage symptoms, although with limited evidence for effectiveness, which could increase the risk of side effects and adverse events. Current clinical guidelines do not include fibromyalgia as a risk factor due to limited evidence. Thus, in this project, we will use a large register-based cohort to investigate associations between fibromyalgia and cardiovascular disease and dementia. Additionally, we aim to investigate whether certain types of pain medication mediate the association.