Is fybromyalgia a real disease?!
Question: Sort of. It's usually over-diagnosed because it's an "in" disease. But there are strict criteria for it. It usually affects middle-aged women more so than men, and is usually also associated with fatigue, poor sleep, unusual tenderness of the axial muscles (muscles of the neck, back, shoulders and chest) more so than the appendicular muscles (legs and arms). Patients may present with depressive symptoms as well. It seems to belong to a spectrum of diseases with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at one end of the spectrum, and Fibromyalgia at the other.
The name came about because it was at first thought that it arose in the muscle fibers (fibro+myalgia or muscle pain). Now it's more thought to be a disorder of the body's nervous system. When we have an acute pain, like a pin-prick, we experience a sharp pain, and then it subsides. But in certain chronic pain conditions like diabetic neuropathy, phantom limb pain and fibromyalgia, the pain nerves never quite "turn off" as they are supposed to. So the pain persists, even if there is no definite tissue injury.
Interestingly, aerobic exercise seems to be beneficial. It seems that by exercising, you force the nerves to recognize "normal" muscle sensations. And so they gradually return to normal functioning. Certain anti-depressants also help. That's why we now think that this is a disorder of the nervous system, and not of the muscles.
Answers: Sort of. It's usually over-diagnosed because it's an "in" disease. But there are strict criteria for it. It usually affects middle-aged women more so than men, and is usually also associated with fatigue, poor sleep, unusual tenderness of the axial muscles (muscles of the neck, back, shoulders and chest) more so than the appendicular muscles (legs and arms). Patients may present with depressive symptoms as well. It seems to belong to a spectrum of diseases with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at one end of the spectrum, and Fibromyalgia at the other.
The name came about because it was at first thought that it arose in the muscle fibers (fibro+myalgia or muscle pain). Now it's more thought to be a disorder of the body's nervous system. When we have an acute pain, like a pin-prick, we experience a sharp pain, and then it subsides. But in certain chronic pain conditions like diabetic neuropathy, phantom limb pain and fibromyalgia, the pain nerves never quite "turn off" as they are supposed to. So the pain persists, even if there is no definite tissue injury.
Interestingly, aerobic exercise seems to be beneficial. It seems that by exercising, you force the nerves to recognize "normal" muscle sensations. And so they gradually return to normal functioning. Certain anti-depressants also help. That's why we now think that this is a disorder of the nervous system, and not of the muscles.
It is a "real" syndrome. The primary symptoms of Fibromyalgia include widespread musculoskeletal pain, severe fatigue, and disturbed sleep. Fibromyalgia means pain in the muscles, ligaments, and tendons