Background: A guideline for the treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) was developed in cooperation with 10 German medical and psychological associations and 2 patient self-help groups.
Methods: A systematic literature search including all controlled studies evaluating multicomponent therapy (MT) was performed in the Cochrane Library (1993-12/2006), Medline (1980-12/2006), PsychInfo (1966-12/2006) and Scopus (1980-12/2006). Levels of evidence were assigned according to the classification system of the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Grading of the strengths of recommendations was done according to the German program for disease management guidelines. Standardized procedures to reach a consensus on recommendations were used.
Results: MT is superior to control groups or routine treatment (evidence level 1A) and should be offered to FMS patients (recommendation strength A).
Conclusions: Future studies should consider medication, other co-therapies and comorbidities. MT programs tailored to FMS subgroups should be tested.