Fibromyalgia may very well be "all in your head" - literally. More and more research concerning the central nervous system and its connection to fibromyalgia has been emerging.
Fibromyalgia is a life altering and complex condition that has been traditionally classified as either a musculoskeletal disease or a psychological disorder. There is no doubt that fibromyalgia is a persistent widespread pain disorder.
An article published in The Journal of Neuroscience in 2007 outlined research entitled "Accelerated brain gray matter loss in fibromyalgia patients: premature aging of the brain?" by Anil Kuchinad, et al, indicating evidence fibromyalgia is linked with central nervous system dysfunction.
In this small study, researchers investigated anatomical changes in the brain of women diagnosed with fibromyalgia and compared them with healthy control group of women. The researchers found fibromyalgia patients had significantly less total gray matter volume and showed a 3.3 times greater age-associated decrease in gray matter than the healthy control group.
Researchers were also able to determine the longer the individuals had had fibromyalgia, the greater the gray matter loss, with each year of fibromyalgia being equivalent to 9.5 times the loss in normal aging. In addition, fibromyalgia patients demonstrated significantly less gray matter density than healthy controls in several brain regions. The neuroanatomical changes seen in fibromyalgia patients contribute additional evidence of CNS involvement in fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia New Drug Treatment for Canadians
The latest news for Canadians suffering from a common chronic widespread pain condition have a new drug option. In May 12, 2009 press release Pfizer Canada Inc. announced that LYRICA® (pregabalin) is now indicated for the management of pain associated with fibromyalgia, giving the approximately one million Canadians who suffer from this debilitating condition a key component towards managing their disease.
Fibromyalgia Difficult to Diagnose
That is - if and when they are diagnosed with having fibromyalgia. "Fibromyalgia has been and continues to be under-treated in the medical community," said Dr. Gordon D. Ko, medical director for Canadian Centre for Integrative Medicine and consultant in the department of rehabilitation medicine at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto. "Now that there is a viable and effective treatment option available, there is hope that this will change and those who suffer from fibromyalgia will find relief from their pain."
Diagnosing fibromyalgia is difficult because it is a complex condition and has baffled and frustrated the health care profession and patients for years. It cannot be detected through a blood test or x-ray. Women are much more likely to report suffering from fibromyalgia than men, although the condition affects both sexes.
Fibromyalgia is characterized by:
- Chronic widespread pain that can be relentless.
- Accompanied by poor sleep
- Stiffness
- Fatigue
- Deep tenderness
- Burning or tingling skin
- Soreness
- Flu-like aching
Fibromyalgia can Affect the Whole Person
If you have ever spent any time talking with people who have been diagnosed with fibromyalgia they will tell you that it is a life altering condition. For years they may have been labelled unfairly as chronic whiners.
In fact, in the same Pfizer press release, Dr Ko pointed out that fibromyalgia sufferers are often stigmatized as chronic complainers. "However, the ambiguity of the symptoms that they experience doesn't diminish their pain. Patients with fibromyalgia report pain at much lower levels of stimulus than those without the condition, which has been confirmed in several studies, including technology with advanced functional MRI scanning of the brain. It is as if the "volume control" for pain is turned up."
Most experts would agree there is not one specific cause of fibromyalgia. And everyone agrees that fibromyalgia can be debilitating and can have devastating effects on a sufferer's life.
