Serum Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor and Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-1 Levels in Patients With Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Ahmet KARADAĞ1, Emrullah HAYTA2, Veysel Kenan ÇELİK3, Sevtap BAKIR3

1Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Cumhuriyet University School of Medicine, Sivas, Turkey
2Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Acıbadem Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
3Department of Biochemistry, Cumhuriyet University School of Medicine, Sivas, Turkey

Keywords: Fibromyalgia syndrome, vascular endothelial growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1

Abstract

Objectives: This study aims to compare the serum vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-1 (VEGFR-1) levels between patients with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and healthy controls.
Patients and methods: The study included 40 female patients (mean age 39.9±10.2 years; range, 22 to 52 years) diagnosed with primary FMS according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria (1990) and 40 healthy female volunteers (mean age 40.9±8.3 years; range, 25 to 53 years). The sociodemographic data of both groups were recorded. The disease duration and the number of tender points were recorded for patients with FMS, and venous blood samples were collected from the two groups for the measurement of serum VEGF and VEGFR-1 levels.
Results: The FMS and control groups were comparable in terms of age and body mass index (p>0.05). A comparison of the serum VEGF levels of the FMS and control groups revealed a statistically insignificant difference (p>0.05), while a comparison of the serum VEGF-1 levels of the FMS and control groups revealed a statistically significant difference (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Serum VEGFR-1 levels were higher in patients with FMS, while the serum VEGF levels of the FMS patients did not differ from those of the healthy controls.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article.

Financial Disclosure

The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.