By: Dr. Mary Rondeau Fibromyalgia is a syndrome that is
characterized by widespread pain, tenderness, sleep
disturbances, fatigue and commonly problems of memory or
thinking. Currently there are no lab tests available for the
diagnosis of fibromyalgia. Diagnosis is made by finding 11 of 18
tender points in the absence of any other disease to explain the
pain. The prevalence of fibromyalgia is estimated at 2%-4%
worldwide with women being more affected than men (9:1 ratio).
Many theories of what causes fibromyalgia have been explored,
but neither the etiology nor pathophysiologic mechanisms are
known. Some theories include genetic/familial factors, sleep
disturbance, neuroendocrine dysfunction, abnormal pain
processing and decreased pain inhibition. Likely it is a
combination of several of these categories. In 2004, a study
published in Annuals of the Rheumatic Diseases reported that
inappropriate colonization of small bowel with colonic bacteria
has been reported in patients with fibromyalgia. This study also