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Have Muscle Pain Throughout Body. Told To Be Allergy. Have Bruises All Over And Problem. All Test Normal. Cause?

Posted on Wed, 9 Oct 2013

Question: For the past 3 - 4 weeks, I have been experiencing severe muscle pain throughout my body. I've done nothing to incite such pain & have found nothing that eases it. Originally it was so bad that I almost couldn't use my hands at all. When I went to the Dr., he said, it was "allergies" & told me to use my inhaler as directed (twice daily, 2 puffs per nostril). Time appeard to ease the pain somewhat, but it has returned, especially in my upper arms. I noticed yesterday that I even have a number of bruises all over my body from my legs to my torso to my arms with no explanation as to how they got there. I find "allergies" a difficult diagnosis to swallow. I do have severe back problems which has me on total disability & a daily dose of morphine (up to 90mg) although I've been trying to cut it down to 60 daily. At the time, the doc did a chest x-ray, blood work-up & CT scan which he said were OK (many of the blood factors were actually slightly raised). Do allergies actually cause such symptoms?

Answered by Dr. Nsah Bernard (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
I do not think it is allergy

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Thanks for posting on XXXXXXX
To start with, allergies do not last for several weeks especially when an external factor can not easily be identified.
Given your description, my suspicion is the likelihood of an autoimmune diseases (these could manifest at times like allergy). An autoimmune disorder is a condition that occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks and destroys healthy body tissue. There are more than 80 different types of autoimmune disorders. In patients with an autoimmune disorder, the immune system can't tell the difference between healthy body tissue and antigens. The result is an immune response that destroys normal body tissues. This response is a hypersensitivity reaction similar to the response in allergic conditions. The reason for this is unknown to medical community but they are known triggers such as infections, stress, allergens, drugs etc.
Examples of autoimmune conditions that can symptoms such as joints pain, muscle pain, skin rash (as you mentioned in your resume) is lupus, dermatomyositis etc.
Well in my opinion, allergies should be considered as an alternative cause but I do doubt if they will general joints or muscle pain.
You will need to see a rheumatologist for follow-up.

Hope this helps and wish you the best.
Dr. Nsah

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar