Introduction
Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition causing pain, stiffness, and tenderness of the muscles, tendons, and joints. Fibromyalgia is also characterized by restless sleep, awakening feeling tired, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and disturbances in bowel function. Fibromyalgia is not progressive,it is not life-threatening, but it is as yet incurable.
Fibromyalgia is not new, although awareness of it is now growing rapidly. Fibromyalgia is challenging to diagnose because the only physical findings are generalized pain and tenderness.
Fibromyalgia
The name fibromyalgia, introduced by Muhammad Yunus MD and his colleagues in 1981, literally means pain in the muscles and tissue. No ethnic group seems any more likely to have fibromyalgia;however women develop it approximately 8 times more often than do men. While the medical community does not yet understand the pathology underlying fibromyalgia, more and more information about this condition is becoming known.
Medical researchers are now actively searching for the cause, mechanisms and best treatments for fibromyalgia and related conditions. To keep abreast of scientific studies on fibromyalgia, you can search and read the abstracts of articles on MEDLINEplus,the National Library of Medicine's database of medical journal articles.
Diagnostic Criteria
In 1990, the diagnosis of fibromyalgia entered the mainstream in the United States. These diagnostic criteria provide an important empirical basis to diagnose fibromyalgia. People affected by fibromyalgia may not realize they have tender points until someone familiar with the condition applies pressure to them. It has been the case that people with fibromyalgia see an average of five physicians before receiving the proper diagnosis, but as physicians become more familiar with the tender point exam, diagnoses are made more quickly.
The diagnosis of fibromyalgia relies not only on tender points, but on a thorough medical history and appropriate lab tests to rule out alternative diagnoses. Until recently, however, the cluster of symptoms that comprise fibromyalgia, or fibrositis one of its former names, were largely considered psychogenic. This has been the case for fibromyalgia because it lacks a clear test to verify its existence, its sufferers "look fine,"and are predominantly female, a group less likely believed. This skepticism began to change in the late 1970s and early 1980s when more research became available about sleep abnormalities and reproducible tender spots in fibromyalgia.
Treatments for Fibromyalgia
The good news about fibromyalgia is that there does not seem to be any underlying pathology that worsens. Treatments therefore focus on alleviating symptoms of pain and sleeplessness. Treatment may include: Medicines to help you sleep better, relax muscles, or relieve muscle and joint pain. Treatments and self-care steps can improve fibromyalgia symptoms and your general health. Treatment may be different for each person.
Conclusion
Fibromyalgia is a long-term problem that causes pain in the muscles and soft tissues of your body. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome (a set of symptoms that occur together but do not have a known cause). Fibromyalgia is gaining respect in both the scientific and the lay community because of all the research that's been conducted - first, showing that it's a real disease, and second, showing that there are drugs that specifically work to treat fibromyalgia.
An article, suggesting that fibromyalgia is not real, has appeared in the New York Times recently, and has certainly opened a can of worms among the FM community. Instead of helping dispel the myth that those with fibromyalgia are crazy, lazy, or depressed, they have elected to focus on the minority of doctors who think fibromyalgia is not real.
I encourage you to write The New York Times and let them know that fibromyalgia is real and is only made worse by arrogant doctors who help perpetuate the idea that the syndrome is psychosomatic in nature. For instance fibromyalgia is recognized as a diagnosable disorder by the National Institutes of Health, the American Medical Association, the American College of Rheumatology and the Social Security Administration.
Whether you are a health professional or a person who has fibromyalgia, it is important to understand what fibromyalgia is and how it can be effectively managed.
