Every year, Fibromyalgia affects millions of people from all over the world.
This mysterious syndrome shows a very wide variety of symptoms, most of which are common to other medical conditions as well.
This is precisely what makes Fibromyalgia so mysterious, so frequently misdiagnosed and even more frequently misunderstood.
The main symptom shown by Fibromyalgia is chronic pain, but since this is something that can appear in the case of other conditions too, the medical professional analyzing a patient will have to take into consideration multiple factors. The first “red flag” is the development of the so-called “painful tender points” around the body.
More precisely, if more than 11 (out of 18) tender points in the body of the patient are painful, then the patient is likely to have developed Fibromyalgia. Furthermore, if the chronic pain he/she has experienced has lasted for more than 3 months, the chances of having developed this syndrome are increased.
In addition to pain though, there may be a lot of other symptoms, such as those typical for chronic depression, those typical for the irritable bowel syndrome, restless sleep and insomnia, dizziness, headaches, impairment of the cognitive functions, and so on. Every patient is different and two patients are very likely to develop completely different symptoms.
Most often, it will be women who are affected by this syndrome, but this is not a gender-exclusive medical condition, as men can be affected by it as well. Furthermore, people from all age groups can be affected, from children to the elderly.
Recent studies have shown that the younger people are more affected by Fibromyalgia than the other age groups. Even if the symptoms may appear in older people, the younger ones will perceive them as stronger.
The same studies show that the young people which have been surveyed are smokers, but with a lower BMI (body-mass-index). This recent discovery comes as a surprise, especially since older patients tend to have a poorer physical condition and the Fibromyalgia symptoms could have affected them more because of that.
Physical condition and Fibromyalgia are strongly connected to each other, since it is often caused by poor quality of the dietary intake and by lack of exercise.
The new discovery is even more surprising if you take into consideration the fact that those affected by Fibromyalgia the most are also those who show, at least apparently, the least important issues when it comes to their nutrition (as the BMI can be an important trigger in this matter).
Furthermore, the same study links Fibromyalgia and a history of abuse, something that has been thought of for a long while. Because this syndrome is also linked with chronic depression, this discovery could reinforce the idea that the two of them, Fibromyalgia and chronic depression, come together in the large majority of time.
The same discoveries show, on the other hand, that the younger group of age (people who are up to 39 of age), suffered from the symptoms of Fibromyalgia for a shorter amount of time than those who belonged to other groups of ages.
The fact that new discoveries are made regularly in the field of Fibromyalgia should be good news, especially since this syndrome is still so poorly understood, even in the medical circles. Up to the moment, researchers and medical professionals haven’t yet reached a consensus when it comes to the causes that lead to the development of Fibromyalgia.
On the one hand, there are those who sustain the fact that this syndrome is caused by the way the nerves in the human body perceive the pain. On the other hand though, there are multiple other branches and suspicions in this area.
Knowing exactly what is it that can cause the development of Fibromyalgia is important because only then will scientists be able to create a completely adequate treatment.
Currently, patients suffering from this syndrome are treated with a combination of drugs (pain killers, and sometimes sleeping pill and antidepressants) and alternative remedies (they are suggested to eat healthier, to take certain supplements, to regularly exercise as low impact as they feel the need to, to try out Tai-Chi, Yoga, Acupuncture and other oriental “cures”, and so on).
If you believe that you are showing symptoms of Fibromyalgia, then it is very important to check out with a specialist. Only a medical professional will be able to run tests and inquire the right questions as to find out what your real diagnosis may be.
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