Background: Fibromyalgia syndrome is a chronic pain disorder associated with autonomic dysfunction that may affect cardiac function. This study aimed to evaluate left ventricular diastolic function in fibromyalgia syndrome patients using echocardiography. Methods: A total of 140 participants were enrolled, including 70 patients with fibromyalgia syndrome and 70 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. All participants underwent conventional and tissue Doppler echocardiography. Diastolic parameters including peak early diastolic velocity, peak late diastolic velocity, ratio of peak early to peak late diastolic velocities, deceleration time, isovolumetric relaxation time, and ratio of early diastolic velocity to early diastolic myocardial velocity ratios were measured and compared between groups. Results: The two groups were comparable in terms of age, sex, body mass index, blood pressure, heart rate, and laboratory parameters. fibromyalgia syndrome patients had significantly larger left atrial dimensions (3.2±0.3 vs 3.0±0.1 cm, p=0.008), lower peak early diastolic velocity (0.72±0.07 vs 0.78±0.05 m/s, p=0.030), lower ratio of peak early to peak late diastolic velocities (1.14±0.15 vs 1.25±0.06, p=0.001), and prolonged isovolumetric relaxation time (99±8.5 vs 90±5.6 ms, p<0.001) compared to controls. Left ventricular ejection fraction and ratio of early diastolic velocity to early diastolic myocardial velocity ratios were similar between groups. Conclusion: Patients with fibromyalgia syndrome demonstrate subclinical left ventricular diastolic dysfunction as evidenced by impaired relaxation parameters on echocardiography. These findings suggest that cardiovascular evaluation should be considered in the routine assessment of fibromyalgia syndrome patients.

Fibromyalgia syndrome, diastolic dysfunction, echocardiography, autonomic dysfunction, left ventricle