Fibromyalgia

What Causes Fibromyalgia?

The causes of fibromyalgia are unknown, but there are probably a number of factors involved.

Many people associate the development of fibromyalgia with a physically or emotionally stressful or traumatic event, such as an automobile accident. Some connect it to repetitive injuries. Others link it to an illness.

People with rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, such as lupus, are particularly likely to develop fibromyalgia. For others, fibromyalgia seems to occur spontaneously.

Many researchers are examining other causes, including problems with how the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) processes pain.

Some scientists speculate that a person’s genes may regulate the way his or her body processes painful stimuli. According to this theory, people with fibromyalgia may have a gene or genes that cause them to react strongly to stimuli that most people would not perceive as painful. However, those genes – if they, in fact, exist – have not been identified

Here are some areas that are currently being investigated:

1. Can fibromyalgia be considered a central sensitisation syndrome?

Many experts agree that fibromyalgia is the result of an abnormality in the central nervous system that increases sensitivity to pain. Findings to date seem to indicate that this is the case, but more research must be done.

2. Genetic factors, as yet unconfirmed, could explain the increased propensity some people have over others to developing fibromyalgia. One of the most important initiatives in this respect, carried out in Spain, is the recent creation of a “DNA bank” of affected patients and their first-degree relatives, to try to identify the genes that could be key in the development of fibromyalgia.

3. Studies performed using functional magnetic resonance imaging of different regions of the brain (known as the neural pain matrix) have confirmed that a significant proportion of patients with fibromyalgia have abnormal activation of the neural pain matrix when low-intensity stimuli (heat, pressure, etc.) are applied. We expect to see more studies on brain structure and function in patients with fibromyalgia in the coming years, thanks to the recent development of more sophisticated neuroimaging techniques.

4. Not all treatments are equally effective for all patients. In fact, one of the main aims for healthcare professionals who are currently doing research in this field is to find the pharmacological or non-pharmacological treatment that is the most effective for you, taking into account your individual characteristics and circumstances. As a result, researchers continue their quest to find the most effective pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments and identify specific types of patients for whom each of these treatments are most effective. This is undoubtedly one of the areas of research that is attracting most interest. FROM A BEGINNERS GUIDE TO FIBROMYALGIA PDF

This site contains reliable information from National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) and true stories from people with fibromyalgia.

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Fibromyalgia Causes