What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is one of the diseases of the rheumatic group (rheumatism) and manifests itself primarily through severe muscle pain. Often, those affected torment themselves for many years with the worst pain, run from doctor to doctor and are not taken seriously with their disease. Also known as generalized tendomyopathy, myofascial pain syndrome, or fibrositis syndrome, fibromyalgia syndrome is a chronic, noninflammatory rheumatic disorder of unexplained cause.

Fibromyalgia syndrome: excruciating muscle pain.

Fibromyalgia is characterized by generalized pain that affects only the soft tissues, with no changes found in joints or bones. Unfortunately, this also means that no diagnostic clues can be found in the laboratory or in diagnostic imaging (x-rays, etc.) – this means that sufferers are often not taken seriously and it takes a long time to make the correct diagnosis.

Fibromyalgia affects about 0.7 to 3.2 percent of the population between the ages of 20 and 40, women more often than men, and in a 6:1 ratio.

Causes: How does fibromyalgia develop?

The cause of fibromyalgia is as yet unclear. Various theories suspect autoimmune mechanisms as well as psychogenic causes, among others. Several studies have demonstrated that pain processing in the brain is altered and that there is a stronger inflammatory response in affected individuals.

Obviously, there is also a connection to various hormone activities. Thus a sleep disturbance (with missing deep sleep phase) can entail both a further hormonal imbalance and disturbances in the immune system, which explain the symptomatology of the Fibromyalgie. What is certain, however, is that a triggering event for this cannot be established.

Symptoms: How does fibromyalgia manifest itself?

The prominent symptom is the generalized pain encompassing the entire body, which is accompanied by a number of additional disorders. These mainly include:

  • Fatigue
  • Morning stiffness
  • Sleep disturbances
  • Sensory disturbances
  • Headaches

Vegetative accompanying symptoms are:

  • Cold hands and feet
  • A strong tendency to sweat
  • Trembling
  • Balance disorders
  • Functional cardiovascular disorders
  • Gastrointestinal disorders (for example, an irritable bowel syndrome).
  • Bladder and rectal disorders

Furthermore, it is not uncommon to observe psychological disorders such as depression states. Whether these are primarily attributable to the disease as such or develop secondarily due to the often protracted course of the disease with usually delayed diagnosis, is not yet clear.

Diagnosis: How is fibromyalgia diagnosed?

If you have had pain in three different areas of your body for at least three months, you should be evaluated for fibromyalgia.

The so-called painful pressure points (the tender points) that can be localized during clinical examination are crucial for diagnosis. They are located in the transition area of muscles and tendons in the neck and lumbar region, the shoulder and pelvic girdle, and at the knee and elbow. If 11 of the 18 tender points are sensitive to pressure, fibromyalgia is likely.

Laboratory chemistry tests and imaging studies are usually unremarkable and should be performed only to rule out possible other disorders. Differential diagnostic possibilities include all of the other following conditions:

  • Rheumatic diseases
  • The chronic fatigue syndrome
  • Drug side effects
  • Osteoporosis
  • Infectious diseases and various malignant diseases