FDA acknowledges Fibromyalgia and offers ways of treatment

The question of authenticity for Fibromyalgia remained open until the FDA has finally recognized fibromyalgia as a diagnosable condition.

Photo: FDA acknowledges Fibromyalgia and offers ways of treatment

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a disorder classified by the presence of chronic widespread pain and tactile allodynia. Fibromyalgia patients are also typically affected by a number of symptoms other than pain, including debilitating fatigue, abnormal sleep architecture, functional bowel disturbances and a variety of neuropsychiatric problems including cognitive dysfunction, anxiety and depressive symptoms. While the criteria for such an entity has not yet been thoroughly developed, the recognition that fibromyalgia involves more than just pain has led to the frequent use of the term “fibromyalgia syndrome.” It is not contagious, and recent studies suggest that people with fibromyalgia may be genetically predisposed. It affects more females than males, with a ratio of 9:1 by American College of Rheumatology (ACR)criteria. Fibromyalgia is seen in about 2% of the general population. It is most commonly diagnosed in individuals between the ages of 20 and 50, though onset can occur in childhood.

The disorder is not directly life-threatening. The degree of symptoms may vary greatly from day to day with periods of flares (severe worsening of symptoms) or remission; however, the disorder is generally perceived as non-progressive.

The validity of fibromyalgia as a unique clinical entity is a matter of some contention among researchers in the field. For example, it has been proposed that the pathophysiology responsible for the symptoms that are collectively classified as representing "fibromyalgia" is poorly understood, thereby suggesting that the fibromyalgia phenotype may result from several different disease processes that have global hyperalgesia and allodynia in common, an observation that has led to the proposition that current diagnostic criteria are insufficient to differentiate patient groups from each other. Alternatively, there is evidence for the existance of differing pathophysiological abnormalities within the greater fibromyalgia construct, which may be interpreted to represent evidence for the existance of biologically distinct "sub-types" of the disorder akin to conditions such as epilepsy, schizophrenia and major depressive disorder.

Fibromyalgia has been studied since the early 1800s but was recognized by the American Medical Association as an illness and a cause of disability only in 1987.

As with many other syndromes, there is no universally accepted cure for fibromyalgia, though some physicians claim to have found cures. However, a steady interest in the disorder on the part of academic researchers as well as pharmaceutical interests has led to improvements in its treatment, which ranges from symptomatic prescription medication to alternative and complementary medicine.

The treatment may include the prescription of pain relievers, muscle relaxants, Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and others. Anti-seizure drugs are also sometimes used, such as gabapentin and pregabalin (Lyrica). Pregabalin, originally used for the nerve pain suffered by diabetics, has been approved by the American Food and Drug Administration for treatment of fibromyalgia. A randomized controlled trial of pregabalin 450 mg/day found that a number needed to treat of 6 patients for one patient to have 50% reduction in pain.

Apart from drug treatment non-drug treatment is very important. It includes physical treatments, psychological/behavioral therapies and dietary treatment.

Though there exist many ways of treatment the question should be discussed with doctor prior to trying any.