Fibromyalgia

by: AimyD
Total views: 29 | Word Count: 303

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes pain, tenderness, and stiffness in the muscles, joints, and tendons. This is also characterized by waking up feeling tired, fatigue, anxiety, depression, and bowel function disturbances. Fibromyalgia was formally known as fibrositis.

The cause of this disease is currently unknown, even though this is one of the most common diseases that affects the muscles. The pain is not caused by tissue inflammation. Therefore, anyone living with fibromyalgia will not develop any
type of deformation or body damage. Also, you can not develop any internal organ damage, therefore this disease is different from any other rheumatic conditions.

In other rheumatic disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, the pain is due to inflammation and is the cause of pain, tenderness, and stiffness of the joints and muscles. The pain associated with these types of rheumatic conditions can cause damage to internal organs and muscles along with causing deformations of the joints.

Since the cause of this disease is unknown doctors are unable to find a cure. Patients have reported pain in response to stimuli that are not usually perceived as a painful experience. There have been high levels of nerve chemical signals, known as substance P, and even nerve growth factor in the spinal fluid of fibromyalgia patients. The chemical in the brain known as serotonin is generally low in these patients.

It has been believed that the pain of this disease is due to the central nervous system having higher sensitivity levels. Some patients have reported having Non-Rapid-Eye Movement, also known as non-REM. This could be why patients wake up
feeling tired and have feelings of fatigue.

There are treatment options available for those living with fibromyalgia. Since the disease varies from patient to patient the treatments must be personalized so that each person gets the treatment he/she needs.