Fibromyalgia & musculoskeletal pain
Phenotypes of Chronic Overlapping Pain Multimorbidity in Rheumatology: A Population‐Based Claims Study
Authors' conclusion
A substantial burden and distinct multimorbidity patterns of COPCs exist among patients with ARDs, suggesting shared pathophysiologic mechanisms.
Study context
- Population
- Adults with autoimmune rheumatic diseases (AS, PsA, RA, SjD, SLE, SSc), Merative MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Database, 2008 to 2021
- Participants
- 149,742 adults
- Outcome
- Prevalence and multimorbidity patterns of chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs)
Methodological detailspopulation-based, claims database
- Population-based
- Claims database
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
COPC prevalence
One or more chronic overlapping pain conditions (COPCs)
57.5%
Multiple COPCs
22.7%
Chronic low back pain
41.4%
FM
21.1%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Pairwise COPC co-occurrence
- FM and chronic low back pain, observed/expected ratio
- 1.35
- Migraine and chronic low back pain, observed/expected ratio
- 1.42
- Urologic chronic pelvic pain and vulvodynia, OR
- 10.46
- Many COPC pairs co-occurred more frequently than expected by chance
Original publication
Phenotypes of Chronic Overlapping Pain Multimorbidity in Rheumatology: A Population‐Based Claims Study. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). Published 18 May 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →