Overview
Fibromyalgia syndrome is thought by some to be the most common rheumatic condition aside from
osteoarthritis
. It accounts for perhaps 15 percent to 20 percent of visits to rheumatologists. According to one estimate, 2 percent of Americans, or about 3.7 million people (including many older women), may have the syndrome.
Unlike true arthritis, fibromyalgia does not affect the joints. Rather, it produces pain
(algia)
in the body's fibrous
(fibro)
ligaments and tendons and in the muscles
(my)
. People with fibromyalgia have generalized pain, achiness, and stiffness all over the body. Pain may radiate from various sites that are painful when touched ("tender points"). The tender points are very painful, although people with fibromyalgia may not even realize these particular areas hurt until pressure is applied to them. The other main characteristic of fibromyalgia is chronic fatigue, possibly related to disturbed sleep patterns. Sufferers often complain of waking up as tired as they were when they went to sleep and remaining fatigued throughout the day.
Fibromyalgia primarily affects women and usually first occurs between the ages of 20 and 60. Fibromyalgia causes no inflammation, and it does not damage the joints, connective tissue, or muscles. (This lack of inflammation sets fibromyalgia apart from rheumatoid arthritis.) The disorder cannot be cured, but the symptoms can be managed. People experience significant improvement once they are accurately diagnosed and treated.
Causes of fibromyalgia
The cause of fibromyalgia is not known, but there are several theories. Fibromyalgia may develop following a bout of flu or other illness or after extreme physical or emotional stress. Some researchers believe that fibromyalgia results from minor, repeated trauma to the muscles that decreases blood flow to them and causes weakness and fatigue.
Another theory is that the sleep disturbance associated with fibromyalgia is the underlying cause of the syndrome. The deepest, restorative stage of sleep-delta-wave sleep-is somehow disrupted in people with fibromyalgia.
Other researchers suggest that an abnormality in the central nervous system is responsible. One possibility is a brain malfunction in the production or metabolism of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which plays an important role in some of the fibromyalgia symptoms relating to pain, mood, and sleep. Low blood pressure is currently under investigation as another potential cause of the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
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