{
  "abstract": "BackgroundChronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) is a common and debilitating symptom of Long COVID (LC), which shares several clinical features with Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS).\n\nAimsThis longitudinal study investigated whether the symptom overlap between LC-CMP and FMS persists over time, whether patterns differ according to pre-COVID CMP history, and the extent to which neuropathic pain features are present.\n\nMethodsIndividuals with LC completed questionnaires assessing the symptom-based component of the 2010 American College of Rheumatology criteria for FMS and the presence of neuropathic pain features (PainDetect Questionnaire, PDQ) at baseline, 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Participants were grouped according to pre-COVID CMP history. Group differences were analysed using mixed-effects logistic regression.\n\nResults240 individuals completed the baseline assessment at a mean of 2.61 years after LC onset, including 131 (100 females) with new-onset CMP and 94 (87 females) with pre-existing CMP. The prevalence of participants meeting the symptom-based criteria for FMS remained high across follow-up (67.5-78.6%), with 50.0-61.0% of those with complete follow-up data fulfilling criteria at all timepoints. No significant subgroup differences were observed (OR = 0.43, 95% CI [0.14 1.39], p = 0.160). Across follow-up, 22.2-36.1% of participants reported likely neuropathic pain features, with significantly higher odds in the pre-existing CMP group (OR = 3.17, 95% CI [1.22 8.18], p = 0.017).\n\nConclusionsFMS-like symptoms remain highly prevalent several years after acute COVID-19 and persist over a further 12 months, suggesting that LC-CMP frequently represents a persistent long-term condition with substantial overlap with FMS. These findings support closer integration of LC and chronic pain rehabilitation services and add to the wider literature linking post-infectious processes with FMS-like symptoms.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, School of Medicine, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK"
  ],
  "article_type": "PUBLISHAHEADOFPRINT",
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 6,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "B. Silva-Passadouro"
    },
    {
      "name": "I. Delis"
    },
    {
      "name": "S. L. Astill"
    },
    {
      "name": "C. Brown"
    },
    {
      "name": "A. J. Casson"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0
      ],
      "name": "M. Sivan"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a9vvpkzdzrnge.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.64898/2026.10.07.26364942",
  "fulltext_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.26364942v1.full",
  "id": "a9vvpkzdzrnge",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.26364942v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_label": "CC BY-NC-ND",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "medrxiv",
      "pain medicine"
    ],
    [
      "openalex",
      "2738|Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7220909492",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.26364942v1.full.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-07",
  "publisher": null,
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a9vvpkzdzrnge.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:20:29Z",
      "native_id": "10.64898/2026.10.07.26364942",
      "source": "medrxiv",
      "url": "https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.10.07.26364942v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "medicine",
      "origin": "medrxiv:pain medicine",
      "subfield": "surgery"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Persistent Fibromyalgia-like symptom presentation in Long COVID-associated chronic musculoskeletal pain: a longitudinal cohort study",
  "title_text": "Persistent Fibromyalgia-like symptom presentation in Long COVID-associated chronic musculoskeletal pain: a longitudinal cohort study",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:20:29Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/a9vvpkzdzrnge",
  "venue": "medRxiv",
  "versions": []
}