What is Fibromyalgia?
2,191 viewsThe term fibromyalgia refers to a widespread and chronic painful condition. It is considered a syndrome because it encompasses a range of clinical manifestations such as pain, fatigue, malaise, sleep disturbances. In the past, people who had widespread pain and a series of ill-defined complaints were not taken very seriously. Sometimes emotional problems were considered as a determining factor of this situation or a nebulous diagnosis was established. That’s because it was believed that there was involvement of a muscle inflammatory process.
Currently it is known that fibromyalgia is a form of arthritis associated with the sensitivity of the individual against a painful stimulus. The term arthritis may be explained by the fact that fibromyalgia involves muscles, tendons and ligaments. Which is not to say that entail physical deformity or other sequelae. However fibromyalgia can affect the quality of life and job performance, reasons which fully justify that the patient is taken seriously in their complaints. As there are no exams that alone confirm the diagnosis, the clinical experience of professional who evaluates the patient with fibromyalgia is crucial to the success of treatment.
From the 80 researchers worldwide have been interested in fibromyalgia. Several studies have been published, including criteria that help in the diagnosis of this syndrome, differentiating it from other conditions that lead to muscle or bone pain. These criteria value the issue of widespread pain for a period greater than three months and the presence of standardized tender points.
Different factors, alone or in combination, may favor the manifestations of fibromyalgia, including serious illness, physical or emotional trauma or hormonal changes. Thus, an infection, a bout of the flu or a car accident, can stimulate the occurrence of this syndrome. On the other hand, the symptoms of fibromyalgia can cause mood changes and decreased physical activity, which aggravates the pain condition.
Research has also sought the role of certain hormones or organic chemicals that may influence the manifestation of pain, sleep and mood. Much has been studied about the involvement of hormones in fibromyalgia and substances that participate in pain transmission. These searches can result in a better understanding of this syndrome and thus provide more effective treatment and even prevention.