Fibromyalgia & musculoskeletal pain
Prevalence of dysautonomia in chronic musculoskeletal pain: a cross-sectional study
Main finding · Dysautonomia prevalenceResult — go to the resultAdjusted relative risk 7.4 95% CI 1.8–13.1Authors' conclusion
Dysautonomia is highly prevalent among patients with CMP irrespective of inflammatory status and is associated with pain severity, depression and anxiety.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP), recruited October 2024 to July 2025, and healthy controls896 patients screened
- Participants
- 342 vs 57
- Exposure
- Patients with CMP vs healthy controls
- CMPn = 342
- Controlsn = 57reference
- Outcome
- Prevalence of dysautonomia (COMPASS-31 score of 17 or higher)
Methodological detailshealthy controls with similar age-sex distribution
- Healthy controls with similar age-sex distribution
Main finding
Dysautonomia prevalence
Adjusted relative risk
7.4
95% CI 1.8–13.1
P = 0.010
By group
CMPvs Controls
adjusted RR 7.4 (95% CI 1.8–13.1); P = 0.010
As reported in the abstract
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Dysautonomia by inflammatory status
Dysautonomia by inflammatory status
- Dysautonomia rates similarly high in inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions
Risk of dysautonomia by pain severity, depression and anxiety (adjusted for age and gender)
- RR per point on BPI (pain severity), 95% CI 1.08-1.45, P < 0.001
- 1.27
- RR per HADS depression score, 95% CI 1.06-1.19, P < 0.001
- 1.12
- RR per HADS anxiety score, 95% CI 1.08-1.22, P < 0.001
- 1.15
- Adjusting for age and gender
Original publication
Prevalence of dysautonomia in chronic musculoskeletal pain: a cross-sectional study. Rheumatology (Oxford). Published 16 September 2026. doi:10.
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