FIBROMYALGIA AND CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME
Chronic Pain
| Chronic Fatigue |
Depression
| Anxiety
Sleep Dysfunction |
Vitamin and Mineral Deficiency
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome of chronic widespread muscular pain, achiness, non-restorative sleep, and severe fatigue. The genetic component present in Fibromyalgia negatively affects the brain’s ability to process pain normally by altering the pain threshold. It is not uncommon to find hypersensitivity to touch, heat, cold, chemicals, light, sound, and smell. In Fibromyalgia this translates into pain. If genetically predisposed, a trigger usually occurs to initiate the disease. Subsequent triggering mechanisms such as accidents, trauma and or stress may increase symptoms. The good news is that Fibromyalgia is not fatal and can be controlled with proper diagnosis and a wellness regimen. Some of the other symptoms that can be experienced are:
Sensitivity
to medications and foods (often lactose intolerant)
Sensitivity
to odors, sounds, and bright lights
Early
morning stiffness
Tender
points (see diagram)
Trouble
finding words
Burning
mouth or tongue
Decreased
concentration and memory
(creating
“Fibro Fog” read definition)
Anxiety
Depression
Numbness
Tingling
Sensitive
Skin
Chest pain
Shortness
of breath
Dry eyes
Muscle
cramping
Muscle
weakness
Regional
Muscle pain
Myofascial
Pain disorder
Sensation
of vibration
TMJ
Headaches
Generalized
weakness
Weight
gain
Sensory
overload
Exhaustion
after minimal exertion
Swollen
extremities or sensation of swelling
Special
instability and perceptual disturbances
Immune
system dysfunction
Irritable
bowel syndrome
Irritable
bladder syndrome
Hypoglycemia
Diminished
stress tolerance (emotional and/or physical)
Unexplained
bruising
Low Blood
pressure
The prevalence of fibromyalgia is most likely underestimated and under diagnosed. Studies show that between 2 and 10 percent of the population, predominantly females, are diagnosed with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue according to the ACR protocol. Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue are not diagnoses that most physicians are comfortable making even though much scientific data is available to support it. Therefore, the number of people with fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue is underestimated.
In the last 25 years international research literature and conferences have been bringing important information about fibromyalgia syndrome to the surface. Even the medical books that notoriously take a very long time to assimilate new information have been including chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia, the ACR criteria, and a few minimal treatments in their publications.
Most experts in the field of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue believe that
both fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue are on the same continuum with
overlapping symptoms. They are clinically differentiated on the basis of
symptom balance (i.e. chronic fatigue is more fatigue than pain and
fibromyalgia is more pain than fatigue). Another difference between
fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue is the response to exercise; fibromyalgia
patients are able to tolerate exercise while chronic fatigue patients are
not.
Other Neurological Manifestations of Fibromyalgia
dysfunction
of neurotransmitters - reception may contribute to misreading of sensory
information (ex. touch feels like a burn)
abnormal
tandem gait
hypersensitivity
to vibration
abnormal
twitch response - associated with myofascial pain syndrome
muscle
weakness - overall weakness and fasciculations (twitch of muscle)
numbness
and tingling of hands and feet - 60% of patients may have swelling
difficulty
with visual accommodation and focusing, loss of depth perception
temporal
instability may result in difficulty sequencing actions (timing of events)
overload
phenomena - hypersensitivity to noise, light, odors, speed, and mixed
sensory signals, cognitive, motor, perceptual and emotional overload causes
worsening of symptoms and may result in temporary inability for patient to
function
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is made by conducting a comprehensive general history which
focuses mainly on fatigue, sleep dysfunction and pain as well as a
thorough physical examination. Although there are no specific lab tests for
a fibromyalgia diagnosis there are tests that support the syndrome. Most
fibromyalgia patients have:
sensitivity
to light pressure in areas which are called tender points
low serum
serotonin levels
low
IGF-1
low DHEA
low natural killer cells
low B-12
and other B vitamins
low levels
of certain amino acids, as well as
thyroid
lab values which need to
be interpreted within the context of other
symptoms.
Studies show an imbalance of pain related chemical transmitters in fibromyalgia; there are many pain promoting chemicals and fewer pain relieving chemicals. For example, glutamine and Substance P.
Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ)
The FIQ is an assessment and evaluation instrument developed to measure fibromyalgia (FM) patient status, progress, and outcomes. The FIQ has been designed to measure the components of health status that are believed to be most affected by FM.
Etiology (Causes) of Fibromyalgia Syndrome
Research has shown that there are four main causes of fibromyalgia syndrome:
hypothalmic-pituitary-adrenal
axis dysregulation
behavioral
and psychological factors
Definition of Fibro Fog
The ability to process information in FMS is slowed down in what is commonly known as "fibro fog". There is difficulty with concentration, attention, and easy distractibility, all resulting in poor learning and memory formation.
Fibro Fog often involves confusion, forgetfulness, difficulty concentrating, retrieving words, and speaking. These symptoms become worse when there are more stressors present such as poor sleep, physical or emotional pain, and cognitive overload. There are dysfunctions in the brain (prefrontal cortex) which are involved in helping the hippocampus in the formation of new memories. This leads to misinterpretation of information. return to list of symptoms
