The Prevalence of Fibromyalgia in the General Population and At-Risk Subpopulations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

@article{dsouza2026prevalence,
  title = {{The Prevalence of Fibromyalgia in the General Population and At-Risk Subpopulations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis}},
  author = {Ryan Steven D'Souza and Johana Klasová and Mahmoud Morsi and Ann Vincent and Arya B. Mohabbat and Savannah Whitfield and Christopher M. Radlicz and Soun Sheen and Daniel Wang and Michael D. Zhitnitsky and Chandan Saini and Ahmed Al‐Hindawi and Kalei Lopez and Jimmy To and Ahish Chitneni and Mateusz J. Graca and Benjamin Gill and Yeng F Her and Larry J. Prokop and Nasir Hussain},
  journal = {Anesthesia \& Analgesia},
  year = {2026},
  month = may,
  doi = {10.1213/ane.0000000000008098},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1213/ane.0000000000008098},
  note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}

TY  - JOUR
TI  - The Prevalence of Fibromyalgia in the General Population and At-Risk Subpopulations: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
AU  - Ryan Steven D'Souza
AU  - Johana Klasová
AU  - Mahmoud Morsi
AU  - Ann Vincent
AU  - Arya B. Mohabbat
AU  - Savannah Whitfield
AU  - Christopher M. Radlicz
AU  - Soun Sheen
AU  - Daniel Wang
AU  - Michael D. Zhitnitsky
AU  - Chandan Saini
AU  - Ahmed Al‐Hindawi
AU  - Kalei Lopez
AU  - Jimmy To
AU  - Ahish Chitneni
AU  - Mateusz J. Graca
AU  - Benjamin Gill
AU  - Yeng F Her
AU  - Larry J. Prokop
AU  - Nasir Hussain
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/05/27
JO  - Anesthesia & Analgesia
DO  - 10.1213/ane.0000000000008098
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1213/ane.0000000000008098
AB  - Estimates of fibromyalgia prevalence vary widely worldwide due to differences in diagnostic criteria, study methodology, and population characteristics. Accurate estimates are essential to inform population-level surveillance, guide resource allocation, and highlight disparities in disease recognition and access to care. The objective of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the global prevalence of fibromyalgia in the general population, and secondarily to identify factors moderating prevalence variation and to assess prevalence in defined at-risk subpopulations. Pooled prevalence estimates with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated using the inverse variance heterogeneity model with Freeman-Tukey transformation. Subgroup analyses were performed by sex, diagnostic criteria, country, and other study characteristics, and meta-regression assessed moderators including publication year and Human Development Index (HDI). Of 21,645 records identified, 1,728 underwent full-text review and 882 studies were included in the final analysis. Across 38 countries and 30,070,032 individuals (188 studies), the pooled fibromyalgia prevalence in the general population was 1.40% (95% CI, 0.49-2.47), with substantial heterogeneity (I2 = 100%) and very low certainty of evidence. Among at-risk subpopulations (9,771,123 participants; 768 studies), prevalence was markedly higher in autoimmune and inflammatory conditions, such as chronic urticaria (37.1%), interstitial cystitis (30.8%), systemic sclerosis (20.6%), celiac disease (20.5%), and inflammatory bowel disease (19.9%), and elevated in chronic pain, rheumatologic, and post-infection cohorts. Meta-regression identified publication year (β = 0.008, P < .001) and HDI (β = 0.725, P = .002) as significant moderators of prevalence. In conclusion, fibromyalgia affects 1% to 2% of the global population, with substantially higher rates in at-risk subpopulations. Temporal and socioeconomic trends emphasize diagnostic inconsistency and global disparities in care.
SN  - 0003-2999
SN  - 1526-7598
ER  -