T helper 1 response is correlated with widespread pain, fatigue, sleeping disorders and the quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia and is modulated by hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

What Researchers Did

Researchers investigated the effect of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) on the immune system and quality of life in patients with fibromyalgia (FM) compared to controls.

What They Found

Fibromyalgia patients exhibited a T helper 1 (Th1) immune signature, which correlated with widespread pain, fatigue, sleeping disorders, and reduced quality of life. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy modulated this Th1 activation and impacted proinflammatory cytokine production by CD4 T cells. This modulation was associated with improvements in patient symptoms and quality of life.

Canadian Relevance

This study has no direct Canadian connection as it was not conducted in Canada nor involved Canadian participants or researchers.

Study Limitations

The study's generalizability may be limited by its specific patient cohort and the absence of long-term follow-up data.