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(FM or FMS) is a
Chronic Syndrome (constellation of
Sign s and symptoms) characterized by diffuse or specific
Muscle , joint, or bone
Pain ,
Fatigue , and a wide range of other symptoms. It is not
Contagious , and recent studies suggest that people with fibromyalgia may be
Genetically predisposed.
1 It affects more females than males, with a ratio of 9:1 by ACR (American College of Rheumatology) criteria.Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia is seen in 3% to 6% of the general population, and is most commonly diagnosed in individuals between the ages of 20 and 50, though onset can occur in childhood.
The disease is not life-threatening, though the degree of symptoms may vary greatly from day to day with periods of flares (severe worsening of symptoms) or remission. The syndrome is generally perceived as non-progressive, yet that issue is still debated.
2
Fibromyalgia may actually be composed of several clinical entities, ranging from a mild, idiopathic inflammatory process in some individuals to a
Somatoform Disorder resulting from
Clinical Depression in others, with probable overlaps in between.http://www.springerlink.com/content/1271314042w8405g/ Mueller W, et al. The classification of fibromyalgia syndrome. Rheumatol Int. 2007 Jul 25 Current diagnostic criteria are insufficient to differentiate these entities.
Fibromyalgia has been studied since the early 1800s and referred to by a variety of former names, including and fibrositis.
3 The term ''fibromyalgia'' was coined in 1976 to more accurately describe the symptoms, from the words ''myo'' (muscle
Meaning of myo ) and ''algos'' (pain
Meaning of algos ).
Fibromyalgia was first recognized by the American Medical Association as an illness and a cause of disability in 1987. In an article the same year, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a physician named Dr. Don Goldenberg called the syndrome Fibromyalgia.
The defining symptoms of fibromyalgia are chronic, widespread pain and tenderness to light touch, and usually moderate to severe fatigue. Those affected may also experience heightened
Sensitivity of the skin (also called
Allodynia ), tingling of the skin (often needle-like), achiness in the muscle tissues, prolonged muscle spasms, weakness in the limbs, and
Nerve Pain . Chronic sleep disturbances are also characteristic of fibromyalgia -- and not just from discomfort: some studies suggest that these sleep disturbances are the result of a sleep disorder called ''alpha-delta sleep '', a condition in which deep sleep (associated with delta EEG waves) is frequently interrupted by bursts of brain activity similar to wakefulness (i.e. alpha waves). Deeper stages of sleep (stages 3 & 4) are often dramatically reduced.
In addition, many patients experience cognitive dysfunction (known as "brain fog" or "fibrofog"), which may be characterized by impaired concentration and short-term memory consolidation, impaired speed of performance, inability to multi-task, and cognitive overload.
45 Many experts suspect that "brain fog" is directly related to the sleep disturbances experienced by sufferers of fibromyalgia. However, the relationship has not been strictly established.
Other symptoms often attributed to fibromyalgia (possibly due to another
Comorbid disorder) may include
Myofascial Pain Syndrome , chronic
Paresthesia , physical fatigue,
Irritable Bowel Syndrome ,
Genitourinary symptoms (such as those associated with the chronic bladder condition
Interstitial Cystitis ),
Dermatological disorders,
Headache s,
Myoclonic Twitches , and symptomatic
Hypoglycemia . Although it is common in people with fibromyalgia for pain to be widespread, it may also be localized in areas such as the
Shoulder s,
Neck ,
Back ,
Hip s, or other areas. Many sufferers also experience varying degrees of
Temporomandibular Joint Disorder . Not all patients have all symptoms.
Fibromyalgia can, but does not always, start as a result of some
Trauma (such as a traffic accident), major surgery, or disease. Some evidence shows that
Lyme Disease may be a trigger of fibromyalgia symptoms in some individuals.
6 However, there is currently no known strong correlation between any specific type of trigger and the subsequent initiation of symptoms. Symptoms can have a slow onset, and many patients have mild symptoms beginning in childhood, that are often misdiagnosed as
Growing Pains . Symptoms are often aggravated by unrelated illness or changes in the weather. They can become more tolerable or less tolerable throughout daily or yearly cycles; however, many people with fibromyalgia find that, at least some of the time, the condition prevents them from performing normal activities such as driving a car or walking up stairs. The syndrome does not cause
Inflammation as is present in rheumatoid
Arthritis , although some anti-inflammatory treatments, such as
Ibuprofen and
Iontophoresis , may temporarily reduce pain symptoms in some patients.
The following factors have been proposed to exacerbate symptoms of pain in patients:
- Increased Psychosocial Stress
- Excessive physical exertion (exercise seems to decrease the pain threshold of people with Fibromyalgia but increase it in healthy individuals)7
- Lack of Slow-wave Sleep
- Changes in humidity and barometric pressure
Strictly speaking, there are no "diagnostic criteria" for the disorder. Rather, there exist a widely accepted set of classification criteria for research purposes which were elaborated in 1990 by the Multicenter Criteria Committee of the
the American College of Rheumatology . These criteria, which are known informally as "the ACR 1990" define fibromyalgia according to the presence of the following criteria:
- A history of widespread pain lasting more than three months—affecting all four quadrants of the body, i.e., both sides, and above and below the waist.
- Tender points—there are 18 designated possible tender points (although a person with the syndrome may feel pain in other areas as well). During diagnosis, four Kilograms-force (39 Newton s) of Force is exerted at each of the 18 points; the patient must feel pain at 11 or more of these points for fibromyalgia to be considered.8 Four kilograms of force is about the amount of pressure required to turn fingernails white or to feel pain sensations on the forehead. This technique was developed by the American College of Rheumatology as a means of classifying an individual as having fibromyalgia for both clinical and research purposes. While these criteria for classification of patients were originally established as inclusion criteria for research purposes and were not intended for clinical diagnosis, they have become the de facto diagnostic criteria in the clinical setting. It should be noted that the number of tender points that may be active at any one time may vary with time and circumstance.
A number of other disorders can produce essentially the same symptoms as fibromyalgia. Other disorders known to produce similar symptoms are:
As with many other disorders, there is no universally accepted cure for fibromyalgia, though some physicians claim to have found cures.
9 However, a steady interest in the disorder on the part of academic researchers as well as pharmaceutical interests has led to improvements in its treatment, which ranges from symptomatic prescription medication to
Alternative and
Complementary Medicine .
The drug
Cyclobenzaprine Hydrochloride can be prescribed by physicians to reduce the pain and sleep disturbances associated with Fibromyalgiahttp://www.webmd.com/fibromyalgia/Cyclobenzaprine-hydrochloride-for-fibromyalgia.
Traditionally, low doses of sedating antidepressants (e.g.
Amitriptyline and
Trazodone ) have been used to reduce the sleep disturbances that are associated with fibromyalgia and are believed by some practitioners to exacerbate the symptoms of the disorder. Because depression often accompanies chronic illness, these antidepressants may provide additional benefits to patients suffering from depression.
Amitriptyline is often favoured as it can also have the effect of providing relief from neuralgenic or
Neuropathic Pain .
Standard clinical doses of newer anti-depressants (
SSRI s) like
Citalopram (Celexa) have demonstrated good efficacy in some cases of Fibromyalgia. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?Db=pubmed&Cmd=ShowDetailView&TermToSearch=10628579&ordinalpos=2&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum Antidepressant therapy for unexplained symptoms and symptom syndromes.
Anti-seizure drugs are also sometimes used, such as
Gabapentin and
Pregabalin (Lyrica).
Pregabalin , originally used for the nerve pain suffered by diabetics, has been approved by the American
Food And Drug Administration for treatment of fibromyalgia. A
Randomized Controlled Trial of
Pregabalin 450 mg/day found that a
Number Needed To Treat of 6 patients for one patient to have 50% reduction in pain.
10
Dopamine agonists, such as Mirapex, are now being studied and used to treat fibromyalgia.
Amitriptyline and fluoxetine can be combined according to a randomized
Crossover Study .
11
Studies have found gentle exercise, such as warm-water pool therapy, improves fitness and sleep and may reduce pain and fatigue in some people with fibromyalgia. Stretching is recommended to ease muscle stiffness and fatigue, as is mild
Aerobic Exercise . Because strenuous activity can exacerbate the muscle pain and fatigue already present, patients are advised to begin slowly and build their activity level gradually to avoid inducing additional pain. Exercise may be poorly tolerated in more severe cases with abnormal fatigue after exercise. Many patients find temporary relief by applying heat to painful areas. Those with access to
Physical Therapy and/or
Massage may find them beneficial. Chiropractic care can also temporarily relieve pain due to fibromyalgia.
A holistic approach—including managing diet, sleep, stress, activity, and pain—is used by many patients. Dietary supplements, massage, chiropractic care, managing blood sugar levels, and avoiding known triggers when possible means living as well as it is in the patient's power to do.
As the nature of fibromyalgia is not well understood, some physicians believe that it may be
Psychosomatic or
Psychogenic .
has also shown to provide temporary and long-term relief.
Treatment for the "brain fog" has not yet been developed, however biofeedback and self-management techniques such as pacing and stress management may be helpful for some patients. The use of medication to improve sleep helps some patients, as does supplementation with
Folic Acid and
Ginkgo Biloba .
Milnacipran , a member of the new series of drugs known as
Serotonin-norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitor s (SNRIs), is available in parts of Europe where it has been safely prescribed for other disorders.
On May 22nd, 2007 , a Phase III study demonstrated statistically significant therapeutic effects of
Milnacipran as a treatment of fibromyalgia syndrome. At this time, only initial top-line results are available and further analyses will be completed in the coming weeks. If ultimately approved by the
FDA ,
Milnacipran could be distributed in the United States as early as
Summer, 2008 .
12
Among the more controversial therapies involves the use of
Guaifenesin ; called St. Amand's protocol or the
Guaifenesin Protocol 13 the efficacy of guaifenesin in treating fibromyalgia has not been proven in properly designed research studies. Indeed, a controlled study conducted by researchers at Oregon Health Science University in Portland failed to demonstrate any benefits from this treatment,
14 though these results have been contested.
15
Another drug being researched is the use of
Dextromethorphan , which is sold over the counter as a cough suppressant.
16 17
Fibromyalgia can affect every aspect of a person's life. While neither degenerative nor fatal, the chronic pain associated with fibromyalgia is pervasive and persistent. FMS can severely curtail social activity and recreation, and as many as 30% of those diagnosed with fibromyalgia are unable to maintain full-time employment. Like others with disabilities, individuals with FMS often need accommodations to fully participate in their education or remain active in their careers.
In the
United States , those who are unable to maintain a full-time job due to the condition may apply for Social Security Disability benefits. Although fibromyalgia has been recognized as a genuine, severe medical condition by the government, applicants are often denied benefits. However, most are awarded benefits at the state judicial level; the entire process often takes two to four years.
In the
United Kingdom , the
Department For Work And Pensions recognizes fibromyalgia as a condition for the purpose of claiming benefits and assistance.
The Fibromyalgia Association of the UK
Fibromyalgia is often referred to as an "invisible" illness or disability due to the fact that generally there are no outward indications of the illness or its resulting disabilities. The invisible nature of the illness, as well as its relative rarity and the lack of understanding about its pathology, often has psychosocial complications for those that have the syndrome. Individuals suffering from invisible illnesses in general often face disbelief or accusations of malingering or laziness from others that are unfamiliar with the syndrome.
There are a variety of support groups on the Web that cater to fibromyalgia sufferers. Some are offered at the bottom of this article.
The cause of fibromyalgia is currently unknown. Over the past few decades, many hypotheses have been presented, and the understanding of the disorder has changed dramatically. Most current hypotheses explain only a few symptoms of the disorder and are thus incomplete.
Using self-report of "Chronic Widespread Pain" (CWP) as a surrogate marker for fibromyalgia, the
Swedish Twin Registry suggests a modest genetic contribution:
1819
- Monozygotic Twins with CWP have a 15% chance that their twin sibling has CWP
- Dizygotic Twins with CWP have a 7% chance that their twin sibling has CWP
Studies have shown that
Stress is a significant precipitating factor in the development of fibromyalgia,
20 and that
PTSD is linked with fibromyalgia.
2122 The Amital study found that 49% of PTSD patients fulfilled the criteria for FMS, compared with none of the controls.
).
Serotonin is a
Neurotransmitter that is known to play a role in regulating sleep patterns, mood, feelings of well-being, concentration, digestion. One
Hypothesis of the
Pathophysiology fibromyalgia causation is a dysregulation of serotonin and
Norepinephrine in the neural synapse, contributing to many associated fibromyalgia symptoms.
The drug
Cymbalta , originally used to treat depression, has been used successfully in treating fibromyalgia off-label. Cymbalta has not been approved by the
FDA for fibromyalgia.
On October 19 2006,
Eli Lilly issued a press release stating they had done trials which found Cymbalta, 60 mg once or twice daily, significantly reduced pain in more than half of women treated for fibromyalgia (FM), with and without major depression, according to 12-week data presented at the annual meeting of the American College of
Rheumatology . Eli Lilly is in Phase III of its FM trials and is expected to submit a supplementary new drug application (sNDA) to the FDA for approval of Cymbalta for FM within the next 12 months.
Critics argue that randomized controlled trials of FM are difficult due to factors such as a lack of understanding of the
Pathophysiology and a heterogeneous FM patient population. Although there is a lack of understanding of what causes FM, it is estimated that approximately 5-7% of the U.S. population has FM,
23 representing a large patient clientèle. Eli Lilly hopes Cymbalta will be the first FDA approved medication for FM and had been promoting Cymbalta for FM since 2004.
2425
In the study testing the efficacy of Cymbalta for FM, participants completed several questionnaires to measure the amount of pain and discomfort the disease caused them at the beginning of the study, and then at the end of each of the first two weeks and every second week for the remaining 12 weeks of the study. Researchers also tested the participants for depression.
Women who took Cymbalta had significantly less pain and discomfort than those who took the placebo. For men, who made up only 11 percent of the study, there was no effect from taking the medication compared with a placebo. Reportedly, depression played no part in whether or not the drug worked to control pain. The change in the level of women's pain was particularly pronounced after a month of taking the drug, then levelled off a bit before dropping again near the end of the study.
However, in one of the primary measures of pain there was no significant difference between the two groups at the end of the 12-week trial. Also, because the trial lasted only 12 weeks, it is impossible to tell how well the drug would control treatment for a longer period of time. Lastly, the primary researcher on the project has received more than $10,000 in consulting fees from Eli Lilly, the manufacturer of Cymbalta, all other researchers also had ties to the company, reflecting a conflict of interest.
Electroencephalography studies have shown that people with fibromyalgia lack of
Slow-wave Sleep and circumstances that interfere with stage four sleep (such as
Drug Use , pain, depression, serotonin deficiency, or
Anxiety ) may cause or worsen the condition.
26 According to the sleep disturbance theory, an event such as a trauma or illness causes sleep disturbance and possibly initial chronic pain that may initiate the disorder. The theory supposes that stage 4 sleep is critical to the function of the
Nervous System , as it is during that stage that certain neurochemical processes in the body 'reset'. In particular, pain causes the release of the
Neuropeptide Substance P in the
Spinal Cord which has the effect of amplifying pain and causing nerves near the initiating ones to become more sensitive to pain. Under normal circumstances, areas around a wound to become more sensitive to pain but if pain becomes chronic and body-wide this process can run out of control. The sleep disturbance theory holds that deep sleep is critical to reset the substance P mechanism and prevent this out-of-control effect.
The sleep disturbance/substance P theory is could explains "tender points" that are characteristic of fibromyalgia but which are otherwise enigmatic, since their positions don't correspond to any particular set of nerve junctions or other obvious body structures. The theory posits that these locations are more sensitive because the sensory nerves that serve them are positioned in the spinal cord to be most strongly affected by substance P. The theory could also explain some of more general neurological features of fibromyalgia, since substance P is active in many other areas of the nervous system. The sleep disturbance theory could also provide a possible connection between fybromyalgia,
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and
Post-polio Syndrome through damage to the ascending reticular activating system of the
Reticular Formation . This area of the brain, in addition to apparently controlling the sensation of fatigue, is known to control sleep behaviors and is also believed to produce some neuropeptides, and thus injury or imbalance in this area could cause both CFS and sleep-related fibromyalgia.
Critics of the theory argue that it does not explain slow-onset fibromyalgia, fibromyalgia present without tender points, or patients without heightened pain symptoms, and a number of the non-pain symptoms present in the disorder.
An alternate theory suggests that stress-induced problems in the
Hypothalamus may lead to reduced sleep and reduced production of
Human Growth Hormone during
Slow-wave Sleep . People with fibromyalgia tend to produce inadequate levels of HGH. Most patients with FM with low IGF-I levels failed to secrete GH after stimulation with clonidine and l-dopa.
This view is supported by the fact that those hormones under the direct or indirect control of HGH, including
IGF-1 ,
Cortisol ,
Leptin and
Neuropeptide Y are abnormal in people with fibromyalgia,
27 In addition, treatment with exogenous HGH or growth hormone secretagogue reduces fibromyalgia related pain and restores slow wave sleep
282930 though there is disagreement about the theory.
31
Another theory involves
Phosphate and
Calcium accumulation in cells that eventually reaches a level to impede the
ATP process, possibly caused by a
Kidney defect or missing
Enzyme that prevents the removal of excess phosphates from the blood stream. This theory posits that fibromyalgia is an inherited disorder, and that phosphate build-up in cells is gradual (but can be accelerated by trauma or illness). Calcium is required for the excess phosphate to enter the cells. The additional phosphate slows down the ATP process; however the excess calcium prods the cell to continue producing ATP.
32 - sets out Dr St Amand's theory
Diagnosis is made with a specialized technique called ''mapping'', a gentle palpitation of the
Muscle s to detect lumps and areas of spasm that are thought to be caused by an excess of
Calcium in the
Cytosol of the cells. This mapping approach is specific to deposition theory, and is not related to the
Trigger Point s of
Myofascial Pain Syndrome .
While this theory does not identify the causative mechanism in the kidneys, it proposes a treatment known as
Guaifenesin Therapy . This treatment involves administering the drug guaifenesin to a patient's individual dosage, avoiding
Salicylic Acid in medications or on the skin, and, if the patient is also hypoglycemic, a diet designed to keep
Insulin levels low.
The phosphate build-up theory explains many of the symptoms present in fibromyalgia and proposes an underlying cause. The guaifenesin treatment, based on this theory, has received mixed reviews, with some practitioners claiming many near-universal successes and others reporting no success. Only one controlled clinical trial has been conducted to date, and it showed no evidence of the efficacy of this treatment protocol. This study was criticized for not limiting the salicylic acid exposure in patients, and for studying the effectiveness of only guaifenesin, not the entire treatment method.
As Of 2005 , further studies to test the protocol's effectiveness are in the planning stages, with funding for independent studies largely collected from groups which advocate the theory. It should be noted that nothing in the scientific literature supports the proposition that fibromyalgia patients have excessive levels of phosphate in their tissues.
Other theories relate to various
Toxin s from the patient's environment,
Viral causes such as the
Epstein-Barr Virus ,
Growth Hormone deficiencies possibly related to an underlying (maybe autoimmune) disease affecting the hypothalamus gland, an aberrant immune response to
Intestinal Bacteria ,
3334 Neurotransmitter disruptions in the
Central Nervous System , and erosion of the protective chemical coating around sensory nerves. A 2001 study suggested an increase in fibromyalgia among women with extracapsular silicone gel leakage, compared to women whose implants were not broken or leaking outside the capsule.
3536 This association has not repeated in a number of related studies,
37 and the US-FDA concluded "the weight of the epidemiological evidence published in the literature does not support an association between fibromyalgia and breast implants."
38 Due to the multi-systemic nature of illnesses such as fibromyalgia and
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS/ME), an emerging branch of medical science called
Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI) is looking into how the various theories fit together.
Another hypothesis on the cause of symptoms in Fibromyalgia states that patients suffer from
Vasomotor dysregulation causing improper
Vascular flow and
Hypoperfusion (decreased blood flow to a given tissue or organ).
39
Cutting across several of the above hypotheses is a hypothesis that proposes that fibromyalgia is almost always a
Comorbid disorder, occurring in combination with some other disorder that likely served to "trigger" the fibromyalgia in the first place. Two possible triggers are
Gluten Sensitivity and/or irritable bowel. Irritable bowel is found at high frequency in fibromyalgia
40, and a large coeliac
support group survey of adult celiacs revealed that 7% had fibromyalgia
41 and also has a co-occurrence with chronic fatique.
By this hypothesis, some other disorder (or trauma) occurs first, and fibromyalgia follows as a result. In some cases, the original disorder abates on its own or is separately treated and cured, but the fibromyalgia remains. This is especially apparent when fibromyalgia seems triggered by major surgery. In other cases the two disorders coexist.
