Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia ( FM or FMS ) is a medical disorder characterized by chronic widespread pain and allodynia , a heightened and painful response to pressure. Not all people with fibromyalgia experience all associated symptoms. with a female to male incidence ratio of approximately 9:1. The term fibromyalgia derives from new Latin, fibro- , meaning fibrous tissues , Greek myo- , muscle , and Greek algos- , pain ; thus the term literally means muscle and connective tissue pain ) The brains of fibromyalgia patients show structural and behavioral differences from those of healthy individuals, but it is unclear whether the brain anomalies cause fibromyalgia symptoms or are the product of an unknown underlying common cause. Some research suggests that these brain anomalies may be the result of childhood stress, or prolonged or severe stress. Historically, fibromyalgia has been considered either a musculoskeletal disease or neuropsychiatric condition. Although there is as yet no cure for fibromyalgia, some treatments have been shown by controlled clinical trials to effectively reduce symptoms, including medications, behavioral interventions, patient education, and exercise. The most recent approach of a diagnosis of fibromyalgia involves pain index and a measure of key symptoms and severity. Fibromyalgia has been recognized as a diagnosable disorder by the US National Institutes of Health and the American College of Rheumatology . Despite this, some health care providers do not consider fibromyalgia a disease because of a lack of abnormalities on physical examination and the absence of objective diagnostic tests.

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