How is Fibromyalgia Diagnosed and Treated?

Unfortunately, fibromyalgia is not well understood by people and doctors do not know much about this disease. Some possible symptoms include fatigue, insomnia, pain and tissue sources. Doctors have not yet found a cure for this condition, but are still looking for one.

It seems that most women are affected by fibromyalgia. The world population of 3.4% of women have this condition and 0.5 men are affected by this disease.

Fibromyalgia can not be detected by a laboratory test and because of what many scientists thought that fibromyalgia is triggered by negative emotions or a psychosomatic condition.

Until now, scientists have demonstrated that it has changed the chemistry of the brain in patients who come with a sleep rhythm affected. These patients complain of fatigue, even after sleeping for a long time. Some say they wake during sleep repeatedly. Scientists have found that sleep problems related to stress can lead to fibromyalgia. Other tests have shown that these patients have low levels of insulin growth factor, which means a low secretion of growth hormone.

Even the perception of severe pain due to the increased level of cerebrospinal fluid substance P in patients with fibromyalgia. Endocrine disorders are also found in these patients, which means they have a decreased cortisol steroid production. This steroid is found in high levels in people with depression.

Patients with severe pain sensation is not a result of injury or inflammation in their bodies, but is caused by a defect in the central processing of pain. Some say that these effects may be caused by psychological trauma, but this has not yet been fully tested.

The diagnosis of fibromyalgia is not easy to do, an observation is required over a long period of symptoms with a physical exam. We found more than 11 tender points in the neck, shoulders, lower back, buttocks, hips, elbows and knees seem to be present in fibromyalgia.

Before diagnosing fibromyalgia, your doctor should check your thyroid because hypothyroidism can cause symptoms similar to the symptoms of fibromyalgia. Myofascial pain syndrome can manifest as fibromyalgia. That's why it is not easy to diagnose immediately, without checks and tests that exclude other complete physical ailments.

Treatment is available, but is specific to each patient. To relieve symptoms may be brought by acupuncture, psychotherapy, chiropractic, massage and physical therapy with low doses of antidepressants. In some patients, symptoms may still be present after treatment ended.

Some studies have shown that the combination of a tricyclic antidepressant and an inhibitor of serotonin selective reuptake is more effective if these drugs are taken separately.

Tender points and pain can be relieved by aerobic exercise and bodybuilding activities, but these activities take time and the patient should be well motivated to continue these activities. Maybe a training partner could convince these courses continue for a longer period of time.

Another option is to use an opioid analgesic therapy treatment. This treatment should be followed by a long period of time. The ibuprofen and aspirin have proven effective in the treatment of fibromyalgia is not.

If all treatment options have been exhausted and no improvement, a new therapy may be considered occurs but is very expensive. This treatment is in fact a hormone therapy on the basis of the correction of the lack of growth hormone in the patient's body.

The treatment should be tried before giving up and patients need to know that the results will not be visible immediately, but only after the application of a treatment for a longer period of time.