Understanding Fibromyalgia

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What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder of the central nervous system. It affects about 2-8% of the global population and appears to be more common in women than men. Fibromyalgia is often misunderstood as a psychosomatic condition with an inexplicable pathology within the medical community. Patients with fibromyalgia experience the following symptoms:

• Muscle stiffness

• Joint stiffness

• Insomnia

• Fatigue

• Anxiety and depression

• Cognitive dysfunction and

• General insensitivity and inability to carry out normal daily activities

What causes fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is known to be caused by aberrant pain processing in the central nervous system with manifestation of pain in the joints and muscles. As a result of aberrant pain processing, patients experience hypersensitivity to pain. More recently, the onset and the development of fibromyalgia has been linked to inflammatory, immune, genetic, endocrine, and psychosocial factors.

How is fibromyalgia diagnosed?

Current diagnosis of fibromyalgia is based on clinical evaluation of widespread pain with at least three consecutive months of pain. However, precise diagnosis is complicated by individual variability and coexistence of other conditions making it difficult to formulate universal criteria for disease diagnosis. Therefore, ongoing fibromyalgia research is focused towards identifying specific biomarkers for objective diagnosis.

What are the challenges faced by patients?

Patients often face a long journey to accurate diagnosis and persistent pain is likely to affect the patients psychological and physically. As a result anxiety and depression may occur in many patients along with general sensitivity and inability to carry out daily activities.

How can your doctor help?

Your doctor can help by providing an interdisciplinary approach to treatment involving effective pain management and psychological support. Some of the ways doctors can help manage fibromyalgia is by encouraging physical and mental well being among patients. These include:

• Regular exercise

• Stress management and

• Getting enough sleep

Conclusion:

Fibromyalgia is a complex, chronic pain condition often hard to accurately diagnose. Patients face compromised quality of life and therefore much research is needed for accurate diagnosis and better patient outcomes.

References:

1. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8068842/

2. https://magazine.medlineplus.gov/article/6-ways-to-manage-your-fibromyalgia

Assessed and Endorsed by the MedReport Medical Review Board