May 12 was fibromyalgia awareness day. It’s never too late to cover the subject.

Danger level: Medium

What is it?

Fibromyalgia is a chronic syndrome characterized by muscle and joint pain (in Latin “fibro” means a fibrous tissue, and in Greek “myo” means muscle and “algia” means pain), stiffness and fatigue.

Who gets it?

In the US about 3.4% of women and 0.5% of men have fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia is about 9 times more common in women than in men. It usually starts between ages 30 and 55, but is more common after age 50. It’s more common as we age – it occurs in 7.4% of women between the ages 70 and 79.

The chances of developing fibromyalgia are increased eight fold in family members of people with fibromyalgia.

What causes it?

The cause is unknown. As you’ll see ahead, people with fibromyalgia experience pain in the muscles and soft-tissues, but there is nothing visible there to hint that  something is wrong.

It is believed that the pain experienced in the disease is perhaps caused by a change in the way we perceive pain, a phenomenon called “central sensitization”. (This phenomenon is possibly responsible for other conditions as well, such as irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic headaches, and chronic jaw and facial pain).

How does it feel?

There are a few major symptoms in fibromyalgia:

1. Pain – It’s all over, chronic and persistent. People with fibromyalgia can sometimes also feel numbness or tingling in their arms and legs.

   Certain things can aggravate the muscle pain, such as anxiety or stress, poor sleep, exertion, or exposure to cold or dampness. Warmer weather and vacations improve the feeling.

   One of the most characteristic things in fibromyalgia are tender points or trigger points. These are sites on the body which, when touched, are more tender or painful than the same sites in someone who doesn’t have the disease. There are 18 such points in the body and they are similar between people with the disease.
   
   The tender points in fibromyalgia.

   People may feel joint pain or feel like their joints are swollen (while in reality they are not).

   Other pain related symptoms here can include headaches or migraines, symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, bladder pain and pain in the face or jaw.

2. Muscle stiffness – It’s typically present upon waking up and improves during the day. In some people it lasts all day.
3. Sleep disturbances – More than 90% of people with the disease feel fatigued and exhausted and wake up tired. They also tend to awaken frequently at night and have trouble falling back to sleep.
4. Depression and anxiety – Both are more common in people with fibromyalgia.
5. Difficulty thinking – Some people will experience difficulty thinking and loss of short-term memory.

There are even more symptoms, but these are the main ones. A more complete list appear in the picture below.

How is it discovered?

There are no specific lab tests which can discover fibromyalgia. The physical examination and the patient’s story are usually used to diagnose the disease.

Sometimes blood tests are also performed, in order to rule out other things which may resemble fibromyalgia.

How is it treated?

There is no cure for fibromyalgia. It’s usually treated with a combination of things:

1. Medications – The most useful drugs here are those which are usually used for depression and for seizures. They target chemicals in our brain and spinal cord which are important in processing pain.
2. Exercise – Regular exercise which causes your heart to pump faster (such as walking, swimming, biking) is helpful in reducing the pain.
3. Relaxation techniques – Such as hypnosis, biofeedback and others, may help.
4. Alternative methods – Such as massages and acupuncture may help in some people.

What happens after treatment?

Most people continue to have chronic pain and fatigue, but most people can continue with their lives.

There is currently no known way to prevent fibromyalgia.

The video below tells about Holly Fraser, a young woman with fibromyalgia:

You can also read other personal stories in the fibromyalgia diary blog and at the Fighting fatigue CFS & fibromyalgia blog.

As always, you’re welcome to share your stories in the comments below.

What next?

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