do you have FIBROMYALGIA

Fibromyalgia: Your Most Important Questions Answered
From the National Institutes of Health
Published January 21, 2011

Fibromyalgia is a common and chronic disorder characterized by widespread pain, diffuse tenderness and many other symptoms. So what do sufferers really need to know? Find out now…

Although fibromyalgia is often considered an arthritis-related condition, it’s not truly a form of arthritis (a disease of the joints) because it doesn’t cause inflammation or damage to the joints, muscles or other tissues.

But like arthritis, fibromyalgia can cause significant pain and fatigue that can interfere with a person’s daily activities. Also like arthritis, fibromyalgia is considered rheumatic, a medical condition that impairs the joints and/or soft tissues and causes chronic pain.

People with fibromyalgia may experience a variety of other symptoms, including:

* Cognitive and memory problems (sometimes referred to as “fibro fog”)
* Sleep disturbances
* Morning stiffness
* Headaches
* Irritable bowel syndrome
* Painful menstrual periods
* Numbness or tingling of the extremities
* Restless legs syndrome
* Temperature sensitivity
* Sensitivity to loud noises or bright lights

Fibromyalgia isn’t a disease, but a syndrome: a collection of signs, symptoms and medical problems that tend to occur together but are not related to a specific, identifiable cause. A disease, on the other hand, has a specific cause or causes and recognizable signs and symptoms.

Who Gets Fibromyalgia?

Scientists estimate that fibromyalgia affects 5 million Americans age 18 or older. For unknown reasons, between 80% and 90% are women; however, men and children also can be affected. Most people are diagnosed during middle age, although the symptoms often become present earlier in life.

People with certain rheumatic diseases - such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (commonly called lupus) or ankylosing spondylitis (spinal arthritis) - may be more likely to have fibromyalgia too.

Several studies indicate that women with a family member with fibromyalgia are more likely to have the condition themselves, but the reason for this – whether it be heredity, shared environmental factors or both – is unknown. One current study supported by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) is trying to determine whether variations in certain genes cause some people to be more sensitive to stimuli, which leads to pain syndromes.

What Causes Fibromyalgia?

The causes of fibromyalgia are unknown, but there are probably several factors involved. Many people associate the development of fibromyalgia with a physically or emotionally stressful or traumatic event, such as an automobile accident. Some connect it to repetitive injuries. Others link it to an illness. For others, fibromyalgia seems to occur spontaneously.

Many researchers are examining other causes, including problems with how the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) processes pain.

Some scientists speculate that a person’s genes may regulate the way his or her body processes painful stimuli. According to this theory, people with fibromyalgia may have a gene or genes that cause them to react strongly to stimuli that most people would not perceive as painful. There have already been several genes identified that occur more commonly in fibromyalgia patients, and NIAMS-supported researchers are currently looking at other possibilities.

How Is Fibromyalgia Diagnosed?

Research shows that people with fibromyalgia typically see many doctors before receiving the diagnosis. One reason for this may be that pain and fatigue, the main symptoms of fibromyalgia, overlap with those of many other conditions. Therefore, doctors often have to rule out other potential causes of these symptoms before making a fibromyalgia diagnosis.

Also, there are currently no diagnostic laboratory tests for fibromyalgia; standard laboratory tests fail to reveal a physiologic reason for pain. Because there is no generally accepted, objective test for fibromyalgia, some doctors unfortunately may conclude a patient’s pain is not real, or they may say there’s little they can do.

A doctor familiar with fibromyalgia, however, can make a diagnosis based on criteria established by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR): a history of widespread pain lasting more than 3 months, and the presence of diffuse tenderness.

Pain is considered to be widespread when it affects all four quadrants of the body, meaning it must be felt on both the left and right sides as well as above and below the waist. ACR also has designated 18 sites on the body as possible tender points. To meet the strict criteria for a fibromyalgia diagnosis, a person must have 11 or more tender points, but often patients with fibromyalgia will not always be this tender, especially men. People who have fibromyalgia certainly may feel pain at other sites too, but those 18 standard possible sites on the body are the criteria used for classification.

How Is Fibromyalgia Treated?

Fibromyalgia can be difficult to treat. Not all doctors are familiar with fibromyalgia and its treatment, so it is important to find a doctor who is. Many family physicians, general internists or rheumatologists (doctors who specialize in arthritis and other conditions that affect the joints or soft tissues) can treat fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia treatment often requires a team approach - with your doctor, a physical therapist, possibly other health professionals and, most importantly, yourself all playing an active role.

It can be hard to assemble this team, and you may struggle to find the right professionals to treat you. When you do, however, the combined expertise of these professionals can help you improve the quality of your life.

You may find several members of the treatment team at pain and rheumatology clinics that specialize in arthritis and other rheumatic diseases, including fibromyalgia.

Only three medications - duloxetine (Cymbalta), milnacipran (Savella) and pregabalin (Lyrica) - are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for fibromyalgia treatment.

Cymbalta was originally developed for and is still used to treat depression. Savella is similar to a drug used to treat depression but is FDA-approved only for fibromyalgia. Lyrica is a medication developed to treat neuropathic pain (chronic pain caused by damage to the nervous system). These products are not endorsed by the National Institutes of Health or any other government agency. Also, if a particular brand name is not mentioned, this does not mean or imply that the product is unsatisfactory.

The following are some of the most commonly used categories of drugs for fibromyalgia: (click on the link for details)

MY THOUGHTS

first time i've heard of this. it's alarming because most of the symptoms are so common and especially in women. it's not even age-related so you can have this at a young age. take note that some doctors are not familiar with it. and there are only 3 medicines that have been approved for fibromyalgia. don't be scared. be wise. see the doctor if you have half of the symptoms.