New research from the United Kingdom has some interesting results. The findings? There might actually be a blood test that could diagnose the common pain syndrome fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is a pain condition that causes widespread muscle pain, aches, chronic fatigue, and disturbed sleep. Because fibromyalgia has no obvious cause and is not well understood, it’s very hard for doctors to diagnose and treat the condition. For years doctors weren’t even sure if fibromyalgia even existed, which was so frustrating for sufferers. Although fibromyalgia has a lot of mystery surrounding it to this day, there are luckily researchers out there who are looking for answers.
The researchers at King’s College London created a unique study to test the differences in blood between healthy adults and those with chronic pain conditions. And they did it by studying twins—one with a pain condition and one without.
Their hope is that scientists can use the results of this study to develop a blood test that will diagnose fibromyalgia and other chronic pain conditions, since they are so hard to diagnose currently.
The study will focus specifically on identifying markers on the outside of DNA that are typically associated with the on/off switch for certain genes. This “switching” is very important because it prevents genes from doing inappropriate processes, or keeps them from having recurring errors.
Because the research will study twins, it’s easy to note these changes in the DNA markers. This is a very effective way for researchers to find differences between healthy adults and those suffering from chronic pain conditions.
Once the results are gathered, scientists can use the noted erroneous DNA markers to develop a blood test to help diagnose the syndromes, as these markers could be an indicator for the diseases.
Dr. Natalie Carter, the head research liaison from Arthritis Research UK (who funded the study at King’s College London), says, “Fibromyalgia is notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat, partly because we know so little about why it occurs and how it progresses. Being able to diagnose it would be a major step forward, and understanding more about the influence of genetics will allow us to develop treatments specifically for people with fibromyalgia in the future.”
The future is looking brighter than ever, now that researchers are paying attention to all the sufferers of fibromyalgia out there in the world.
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