Fibromyalgia

**Nate** · #1 11-06-2009, 08:42 AM

Fibromyalgia

30 July 2009
Dr Roland Staud

"Fibromyalgia pain is frequent in the general population (2-4%) and represents a major cause for dysfuntion and disability. It significantly afflicts more women than men (9:1) and has been found in every country studied. Its pathogenesis is increasingly better understood. Fibromyalgia is defined by chronic wide-spread pain (> 3 months) and wide-spread mechanical tenderness (assessed by so-called tender points). In addition, almost all fibromyalgia patients complain of fatigue, abnormal sleep, and depressed mood. Several recent studies have emphasized the role of central nervous system pain processing abnormalities in fibromyalgia including central sensitization and inadequate pain inhibition. However, increasing evidence also points towards peripheral tissues as relevant contributors of painful impulse input that might either initiate or maintain central sensitization, or both. It is well known that persistent or intense nociception can lead to neuroplastic changes in the spinal cord and brain resulting in central sensitization and pain. This mechanism represents a hallmark of fibromyalgia..."

Click on the link for the full article:
http://www.scitopics.com/Fibromyalgia.html

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