Ailments and Situations - Fibromyalgia Syndrome

 

(also referred to as...)

FM

 
Description

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a syndrome characterized by diffuse muscular pain throughout the body. A number of tender points are also present and occur in specific sites set out by the American College of Rheumatology (see diagram under Symptoms and Signs, below). FM occurs most frequently among women between the ages of twenty and fifty. The specific cause for the syndrome is yet to be discovered.

FM is a relatively common, yet somewhat controversial, syndrome. Part of the controversy lies in the fact that most of the possible symptoms of fibromyalgia are the same as those for chronic fatigue syndrome and multiple chemical sensitivities. In fact, studies show that whether or not a person suffering from certain symptoms is diagnosed as having fibromyalgia is dependent upon what type of doctor s/he is diagnosed by. A rheumatologist, for example, may be more prone to diagnosing someone as having fibromyalgia, whereas the same person may be diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome by another specialist. Thus, the theory holds that they are different manifestations of the same condition. Some still believe that both fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue are purely psychological ailments.

 

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