Health

Fibromyalgia: Everything You Need to Know

Fibromyalgia is a little-known condition with a big impact on the UK’s population. It is a disease with a wide spread of disparate symptoms, that can often evade diagnosis and severely impact the day-to-day lives of those that suffer from it.

Fibromyalgia is not only difficult to diagnose, but also poorly understood by the general population. What is fibromyalgia, how does it express itself and what are the avenues for treatment? Here, we will expound on the symptoms and treatment of this commonly misunderstood disease.

What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia, otherwise known as fibromyalgia syndrome or FMS, is a chronic condition with a number of key symptoms. Chief amongst these symptoms are fatigue and musculoskeletal pain, with increased pain sensitivity and difficulty with muscle movement also combining to affect quality-of-life in sufferers.

Those diagnosed with fibromyalgia may also suffer from neurological issues, sometimes referred to as fibro-fog. Fibro-fog has been associated with memory and sleep issues, as well as increased prevalence of depression amongst those with the condition. Sufferers can also experience abdominal pain and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

What Causes Fibromyalgia?

Little is known about the specific causes for fibromyalgia, though some initial theories exist as to the mechanisms that bring about the symptoms. Experts believe that fibromyalgia is a result of chemical imbalances in the brain, which cause a fundamental change in the way a patient’s brain processes signals presented by their nervous system. 

A hyperexcitable nervous system results in widespread pain and discomfort, causing symptoms of a scattershot nature and making efforts to pinpoint direct causes somewhat difficult. However, a commonality amongst fibromyalgia sufferers seems to be the experience of a traumatic event, such as a severe illness or injury. Genetics are also thought to play something of a part.

Diagnosing Fibromyalgia

As previously intimated, diagnosis of fibromyalgia is not a straightforward process. The wide spread of symptoms, and their relative commonality with other conditions, makes diagnosis impossible without first exploring more likely diagnoses.

As such, other conditions need to be tested for first – which can delay diagnosis and frustrate sufferers. In some cases, misdiagnosis of other conditions over fibromyalgia can lead to inappropriate prescriptions and further damage. In the event of misdiagnosis, legal advice is a recommended strategy. Advocacy and awareness movements are actively seeking to raise the profile of the condition in the meantime.

Treatment and Management

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition, and one which does not have a straightforward path to cure. Rather than treatment as a whole, the condition can be managed with treatment and amelioration of the various symptoms it presents.

Given the disease’s expression in both rheumatological and neurological fields, the approach to treatment is multiform. Physical therapies are used to stimulate muscles and reduce stiffness, while medication is used to regulate pain response, fatigue and depression.

news7h

News7h: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button