Although the syndrome is often misunderstood and remains largely mysterious, research is beginning to uncover observable physiological reasons for it.
Undoubtedly, there is still a long way to go. However, the syndrome has a long history of misunderstandings and dismissals. Therefore, even the start of the project to find more physical connections is a good step forward.
Fibromyalgia is often misunderstood, but there isn’t much confusion as to how it happens. The syndrome is characterized by widespread pain that usually affects muscles or joints.
However, it can affect any area of the body, including the tissues. It produces back and muscle aches, a feeling of general fatigue and specific areas of tenderness.
Despite having multiple tender points on palpation, called “soft spots”, the patient will undergo a normal neurological examination which will give no idea what is going on. Soft spots are specific points in the body and when pressure is put on these points it causes pain.
The syndrome most commonly affects middle-aged women who are otherwise healthy. However, it can affect women of different ages, as well as men and boys.
In addition to pain, people with fibromyalgia often experience other symptoms, such as sleep fatigue, other sleep disturbances, and difficulty with memory and concentration. It can also cause intestinal upset.
First, the syndrome may be responsible for both sleep disturbances and fatigue. The latter refers to the fact that sleep is often not relaxing or refreshing due to fibromyalgia. As a result, the syndrome is often confused with chronic fatigue syndrome.
The syndrome may also be responsible for something called “brain fog.” This is the inability to concentrate or think clearly that often accompanies the syndrome.
It’s unclear if this is directly related to fibromyalgia or if it’s caused by the chronic pain and fatigue that the condition brings.
Fibromyalgia can also be responsible for digestive disorders. It is not uncommon for the syndrome to cause intestinal irritation.
In addition to pain, the syndrome can also cause a burning or itching sensation. It’s a rare side effect, but it does happen from time to time.
Finally, it is not uncommon for people with fibromyalgia to also suffer from other psychological conditions.
This can be a problem, as fibromyalgia has long been dismissed as “all in the head” by doctors and other medical professionals.
However, this is not to categorize this syndrome into the psychosomatic category, only to recognize that other things can be happening along with fibromyalgia. However, like sleep disturbances, it is unclear whether this is directly related to the syndrome.
It is not at all surprising that patients suffering from chronic pain and other types of frustration that fibromyalgia can create can also suffer from depression.
It is not a direct consequence of fibromyalgia, but the cause of the symptoms that the syndrome brings. This doesn’t make the fibromyalgia result any less, it just means it won’t be treated as a direct result.
Pathophysiology of fibromyalgia syndrome
Pathophysiology Pathophysiology or pathophysiology is the combination of pathology and physiology.
Pathology is the medical discipline that describes the conditions generally observed during a disease state, while physiology is the biological discipline that describes the processes or mechanisms that operate in a patient.
Pathology describes the abnormal or undesirable state and pathophysiology tries to explain the physiological processes or mechanisms by which this state develops and progresses.
Ultimately, pathophysiology can be described simply as the observable changes that occur physiologically due to a medical condition.
Pathophysiology is not the cause, but the effect that a condition has on the body.
This should be understood as distinct from etiology, which is the term used for causes.
The pathophysiology does not describe the causes of anything, which in terms of fibromyalgia is good, since the causes of the syndrome are unknown.
Pathophysiology of fibromyalgia
So what changes in the patient’s body are caused by fibromyalgia? This will naturally be difficult, since almost all of this syndrome is involved in uncertainty.
However, some aspects of the disease are observable and therefore can be considered part of the pathophysiology of the syndrome.
The most obvious and observable symptom is pain. This is understood as a problem of hypersensitivity to stimuli in general, which then manifests as pain.
This hypersensitivity may be the result of neurobiological changes or “hypervigilance”
