The following is a summary of the “Vitamin K levels in Fibromyalgia Syndrome Patients and Their Associations with Pain, Disease Activity, Quality of Life and Inflammatory Cytokines,” published in the February 2023 issue of Pain management by Çıracıoğlu, et al.

They wanted to examine the correlation between vitamin K levels and pain, disease activity, quality of life, and inflammatory cytokines in individuals with Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS). The study comprised 88 female patients diagnosed with FMS and 87 healthy female controls. Serum concentrations of vitamin K and inflammatory cytokines (interleukin-6 [IL-6], IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-alpha) were compared between the 2 sets of participants. Instruments were utilized, including the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) and the Short Form-36 (SF-36).

In addition to finding no associations between vitamin K levels and pain, FIQ, SF-36, or inflammatory cytokines (P >.05), no statistically significant differences in vitamin K levels were observed between the 2 groups. However, results showed that IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels were significantly higher in the FMS group than in the control group (P<.05), whereas IL-8 levels were not significantly different (P >.05). 

Positive relationships between IL-6 and FIQ and TNF-alpha and physical role difficulties (P >.05) were observed in the FMS cohort. The overall findings of this study did not support a link between FMS and vitamin K intake. Low-intensity inflammation may accompany FMS and have a harmful effect on physical activity, as suggested by elevated levels of IL-6 and TNF-alpha. Further research is needed to see if vitamin K affects FMS.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1524904222001539