Fibromyalgia: Causes, Who Gets It, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

Fibromyalgia is a chronic (long-lasting) condition that causes pain all over the body, fatigue and other symptoms. There is no cure, but treatment can ease the symptoms.

Causes

The exact cause is unknown.

• Brain studies suggest people with fibromyalgia process pain differently: they may feel pain when others don't, and react to it more strongly.
• It can run in families, so genetics may play a part.
• Other factors, such as having certain diseases that cause pain, may also be involved.

Who gets it

Anyone can, but it is more common in:

• women — twice as likely as men;
• middle-aged people — the chance rises with age;
• people with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis or ankylosing spondylitis;
• people with a family member who has it.

Symptoms

Main symptoms:

• chronic pain and stiffness all over the body, often described as aching, burning or throbbing;
• fatigue;
• trouble sleeping.

Others may include problems with thinking, memory and concentration (sometimes called "fibro fog"); muscle and joint stiffness; numbness or tingling in the arms and legs; and sensitivity to light, noise, smells and temperature.

People with fibromyalgia are also more likely to have anxiety, depression, headaches (including migraines), irritable bowel syndrome, and pain in the face or jaw, including temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ).

Diagnosis

Fibromyalgia can be hard to diagnose, and it can take visits to several providers. There is no specific test, and its main symptoms — pain and fatigue — are common to many conditions. So providers must rule out other causes first, a process called differential diagnosis. Your provider will:

• take your medical history, with detailed questions about your symptoms;
• do a physical exam;
• perhaps order X-rays and blood tests to rule out other conditions.

Treatment

Not every provider knows fibromyalgia well, so see a provider or team who specialize in it. With no cure, treatment aims to relieve symptoms, usually by combining approaches:

• Medicines: certain antidepressants and anti-seizure medicines, which may help with pain or sleep; pain relievers.
• Lifestyle changes:
• • enough sleep;
  • regular physical activity — if you haven't been active, start slowly and build up; a physical therapist can help you plan;
  • learning to manage stress;
  • learning to pace yourself: doing too much can worsen symptoms, so balance activity with rest.
• Talk therapy, such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), to learn ways to handle pain, stress and negative thoughts — and to help with depression if you have it too.
• Complementary therapies have helped some people, though more research is needed to show which work. Check with your provider first. They include mindfulness meditation; biofeedback, in which electronic devices measure body functions such as breathing and heart rate so you can learn to control them; yoga and tai chi; massage; and acupuncture.

Sources

Based on "Fibromyalgia," MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine; a work of the United States government in the public domain.