Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the association among genetic polymorphisms of glutathione S-transferase, oxidative stress, lifestyle habits and medication therapy in patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Patients and methods: A total of 187 women (22-84 years) were studied: 81 patients with fibromyalgia (G1) and 106 individuals without the disease (G2). They had their peripheral blood sample submitted for analysis of GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms, serum levels of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC). All subjects were asked to complete a questionnaire for data registry. Results: M1/T1 prevalent genotype in G1 (50.6%) and G2 (45.3%; P = 0.564). Serum TBARS values were similar between the groups (G1 = 218.0 nmol/L; G2 = 233.44 nmol/L, P = 0.9939), whereas TEAC showed reduced values in G1 (2.1 nmol/L) compared with G2 (2.31 nmol/L, P = 0.0005). There was a positive correlation between TBARS and TEAC only among patients (r = 0.49; P = 0.0019). High levels of TEAC stood out among controls, regardless of smoking or drinking habits, compared with G1 (P < 0.0001 for both). There was no association between medication and levels of TBARS and TEAC among the analysed patients (p > 0.05). However, TEAC, when analysed separately, was lower among patients (P = 0.0005). Conclusions: There was no association of medication and the GSTM1 and GSTT1 polymorphisms with FM. However, reduced TEAC levels in patients reflect the inflammatory effect of the disease, with possible implications in the pathophysiology of FM.

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