FM/CFS/ME RESOURCES - Fibromyalgia (FM)
  
 



      
Site Tools Add to Favorites / Bookmark This Site   Print This Page   Email This Page To A Friend

Newsletter
Subscribe
Suggestions
Archived Editions

Welcome Letter
Newly Diagnosed
Tips For You
CFS/ME Explanation
CFS/ME Myths
FM Explanation
FM Myths

What is CMP
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatments
CMP vs FM
 FIBROMYALGIA (FM)

View the Tender Points of the body Fibromyalgia (FM), pronounced: fy-bro-my-AL-ja, was once often dismissed by physicians and the public as a psychological disorder or "waste basket" diagnosis because of an absence of objective findings on physical examination and usual laboratory and imaging evaluations. Many physicians still do not accept FM as a distinct illness.

However, recent basic and clinical investigation has rapidly clarified the neurophysiologic bases for FM and has led to its new classification as a central sensitivity syndrome (CSS). Fibromyalgia can now be considered a neurosensory disorder characterized, in part, by abnormalities in CNS pain processing. Increased understanding of the biological bases underlying FM is rapidly leading to a new era of specific medications for the condition.

At a clinical level, FM is much more than widespread pain. It overlaps substantially with the following:

  • Other central sensitivity syndromes (eg, chronic fatigue syndrome, irritable bowel syndrome, chronic pelvic pain syndrome/primary dysmenorrhea, temporomandibular joint pain, tension-type headaches/migraine, posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD], multiple chemical sensitivity, periodic limb movement disorder/restless legs syndrome, interstitial cystitis)

  • Other regional pain syndromes

  • Mood and anxiety disorders

The diagnostic label attached to a patient may be determined largely by the first specialist that he or she sees. For example, a rheumatologist might diagnosis FM, whereas a gastroenterologist may diagnose irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In addition, FM coexists in unusually high frequency with certain illnesses characterized by systemic inflammation, such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and chronic hepatitis C infection, among others. In such cases, both disorders must be recognized and treated for optimum therapeutic outcome.

The pain of FM is present in the soft tissues throughout the body. Pain and stiffness concentrate in spots such as the neck and lower back. The tender points don't seem to be inflamed, nor do they display the typical signs of discomfort, such as heat, redness, or swelling. Most tests show nothing out of the ordinary in the anatomy of people with FM. The figure above and to your right indicates the tender points in red. In the image above, the left is the front view, while the image on the right is the back view.


Learn more about FM by visiting the links below:

Return to top of page

About FM

The word Fibromyalgia (FM) comes from the Latin term for fibrous tissue (fibro) and the Greek ones for muscle (myo) and pain (algia). Tender points are specific places on the body, neck, shoulders, back, hips, and upper and lower extremities where people with FM feel pain in response to slight pressure. The image to your right indicated the 18 tender point locations on the body.

Although FM is often considered an arthritis-related condition, it is not truly a form of arthritis (a disease of the joints) because it does not cause inflammation or damage to the joints, muscles, or other tissues. Like arthritis, however, FM can cause significant pain and fatigue, and it can interfere with a person's ability to carry on daily activities. Also like arthritis, FM is considered a rheumatic condition.

What Exactly Does Rheumatic Mean?

Even physicians do not always agree on whether a disease is considered rheumatic. If you look up the word in the dictionary, you'll find it comes from the Greek word rheum, which means flux, not an explanation that gives you a better understanding. In medicine, however, the term rheumatic means a medical condition that impairs the joints and/or soft tissues and causes chronic pain.

While FM is one of the most common diseases affecting the muscles, its cause is currently unknown. The painful tissues involved are not accompanied by tissue inflammation. Therefore, despite potentially disabling body pain, patients with FM do not develop body damage or deformity. FM also does not cause damage to internal body organs. Therefore, FM is different from many other rheumatic conditions (such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, and polymyositis). In those diseases, tissue inflammation is the major cause of pain, stiffness and tenderness of the joints, tendons and muscles, and it can lead to joint deformity and damage to the internal organs or muscles.

In addition to pain and fatigue, people who have FM experience:


  • Widespread Musculoskeletal Pain
  • Non restorative Sleep
  • Fatigue
  • Psychological Distress
  • Specific Regions of Localized Tenderness

People with FM may also have other symptoms such as:

  • Morning stiffness
  • Tingling or numbness in hands and feet
  • Headaches, including migraines
  • Irritable bowel syndrome
  • Problems with thinking and memory (sometimes called "fibro fog")
  • Painful menstrual periods and other pain syndromes
Return to Index

Onset

FM as defined by the ACR criteria is more common in females than in males, with a female-to-male ratio of approximately 9:1. Males with FM tend to have lower health perception and more physical limitations than females. Females with FM have greater pain sensitivity and may exhibit greater life interference due to pain.

Some of the mechanisms that may contribute to increased pain sensitivity in women include:

1. Differences in primary afferent input to the CNS, with developmental and menstrual cycle–dependent enhancement.

2. Developmental and phasic gonadal-hormonal modulation of pain regulatory systems, stress-induced analgesia, and opioid receptors.

3. Higher levels of trait and state anxiety.

4. Increased prevalence of depression.

5. Use of maladaptive coping strategies.

6. Increased behavioral activity in response to pain.

Although usually considered a disorder of women aged 20-50 years, FM is observed in pediatric populations, especially in adolescents, and in older persons. FM in children responds to a combination of psychotherapy, exercise, relaxation techniques, and education. Pharmacotherapy is generally not indicated.
Return to Index

Frequency

United States
Chronic pain and fatigue are extremely prevalent in the general population, especially among women and persons of lower socioeconomic status. The prevalence of regional pain is 20%; widespread pain, 11%; FM according to the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria,27 3-5% in females and 0.5-1.6% in males; and chronic fatigue, approximately 20%. Because the ACR criteria are relatively insensitive, the actual prevalence of FM is higher.

FM experts estimate that about 10 million Americans and approximately 3-6% of the population worldwide suffer with FM. While it is most common in women, the illness strikes men, women, and children of all ages and ethnic backgrounds. For those with severe symptoms, FM can be extremely debilitating and interfere with even routine daily activities.
Return to Index

mortality

FM is a chronic relapsing condition. In academic medical centers, long-term follow-up care of patients with FM reportedly averages 10 outpatient visits per year and 1 hospitalization every 3 years. Chronic pain and fatigue in FM increases the risk for metabolic syndrome.

A subset of patients with FM consider themselves to be more ill and more impaired, reporting markedly abnormal scores for pain, functional disability, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and psychologic status. They have significantly higher levels of comorbid illness and healthcare utilization and costs than matched controls. The annual economic burden of FM in 2005 was $10,199 (US dollars) per patient per year, nearly double that of matched controls.

Years Spent Searching For Help

If you've been from one doctor to another looking for a correct diagnosis, you're not alone. It takes many years for most FM patients to receive an accurate diagnosis. Many times this is because FM mimics other illnesses. Often times it's because many physicians don't understand FM, or don't believe it to be a real illness.

Return to top of page

Source(s):

* Yunus MB. Fibromyalgia and overlapping disorders: the unifying concept of central sensitivity syndromes. Semin Arthritis Rheum. Jun 2007;36(6):339-56.
* Gracely RH, Petzke F, Wolf JM, Clauw DJ. Functional magnetic resonance imaging evidence of augmented pain processing in fibromyalgia. Arthritis Rheum. May 2002;46(5):1333-43.
* Wood PB. Treating comorbidities in fibromyalgia. Pain Pract. 2008;18(1):pp 42-53.
* Wolfe F, Cathey MA, Kleinheksel SM. Fibrositis (Fibromyalgia) in rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol. Dec 1984;11(6):814-8.
* Buskila D, Press J, Abu-Shakra M. Fibromyalgia in systemic lupus erythematosus: prevalence and clinical implications. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol. Aug 2003;25(1):25-8.
* Thompson ME, Barkhuizen A. Fibromyalgia, hepatitis C infection, and the cytokine connection. Curr Pain Headache Rep. Oct 2003;7(5):342-7.
* A Patient's Guide to Fibromyalgia, eOrthopod.com.
* (National Women's Health Information Center, OWH, HHS).
* A Physician's Guide to Fibromyalgia Syndrome (Missouri Arthritis Rehabilitation Research and Training Center).
* Winfield JB. Psychological determinants of fibromyalgia and related syndromes. Curr Rev Pain. 2000;4(4):276-86
* Thorsten Giesecke, M.D., research fellow, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.; Roger H. Murphree, chiropractor, Birmingham, Ala.; Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., director, Center for Effective CFIDS/Fibromyalgia Therapies, Annapolis, Md.; National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases; October 2003 Arthritis & Rheumatism.
* John A Pederson, New Research on Fibromyalgia, page 200, 1600212670 : 9781600212673, Gazelle Book Services Limited, White Cross Mills, Hightown, LANCASTER LA1 4XS, United Kingdom.
* Wolfe F, Ross K, Anderson J, Russell IJ, Hebert L. The prevalence and characteristics of fibromyalgia in the general population. Arthritis Rheum. Jan 1995;38(1):19-28.
* Buchwald D, Umali P, Umali J, Kith P, Pearlman T, Komaroff AL. Chronic fatigue and the chronic fatigue syndrome: prevalence in a Pacific Northwest health care system. Ann Intern Med. Jul 15 1995;123(2):81-8.
* Pawlikowska T, Chalder T, Hirsch SR, Wallace P, Wright DJ, Wessely SC. Population based study of fatigue and psychological distress. BMJ. Mar 19 1994;308(6931):763-6.
* Hoffman DL, Dukes EM. The health status burden of people with fibromyalgia: a review of studies that assessed health status with the SF-36 or the SF-12. Int J Clin Pract. Jan 2008;62(1):115-26.

Take Our Quiz
Quiz Winners
Candles of Hope

FM/CFS/ME Survey
Survey Results
Visitor Survey

ALERTS
Articles
Clinical Trials
Salmonella Outbreak

Attorney Database
Doctor Database
Drug Database
FAQ's
Support Group Database
What's New
Return to Top