 | Fibromyalgia: The Muscle Pain Epidemic |
Is it ME by Another Name? (Part 1) Note
The majority of the research discussed in this article derives
from the USA where the distinction between CFS and Myalgic
Encephalomyelitis (ME) is largely unknown And since there is
still disagreement amongst experts as to whether CFS is the same
as ME or not - and it seems likely that this argument will run
for some time - this text will therefore bracket the
condition(s) as CFS(ME).
In marked contrast to the time it has taken for research into ME
and CFS to emerge there has over the past few years been an
explosion in the medical literature featuring Fibromyalgia
Syndrome (FMS).
The more the condition has been researched (FMS that is) the more
obvious it has become that there is a vast overlap between it and
ME/CFS.
The Commonest Symptoms Found in Fibromyalgia Are: 1,2,3,4
- 100% of people with FMS have muscular pain, aching and/or
stiffness (especially in the morning)
- Almost all suffer fatigue and badly disturbed sleep.
- Symptoms are almost always worse in cold or humid weather.
- The majority of people with FMS have a history of injury -
sometimes serious but often only minor within the year before
the symptoms started.
- 70% to 100% (different studies show variable numbers) are
found to have
depression (though many consider that this is more likely to be a
result of the muscular pain rather than part of the cause).
- 73% to 34% have Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- 56% to 44% have severe headaches
- 50% to 30% have Raynaud’s phenomenon (hands go dead white and
cold)
- 24% suffer from anxiety
- 18% have dry eyes and/or mouth (Sicca syndrome)
- 12% have osteoarthritis
- 7% have rheumatoid arthritis
- An as yet unidentified number of people with FMS have had
silicone breast implants and a newly identified Silicon Breast
Implant Syndrome (SBIS) is now being defined.
- Between 3 and 6% are found to have substance (drugs/alcohol)
abuse problems.
Other Conditions Which Are Extremely Common with Fibromyalgia
Include:
Allergies, chronic rhinitis (almost constant runny nose), easy
bruising, night cramps, restless leg syndrome, dizziness
(sometimes caused by the widely prescribed anti-depressant
medication given to help the sleep problems in FMS), sleep
apnoea (breathing seems to stop while asleep), dry eyes and
mouth, bruxism (teeth grinding), extreme sensitivity to light
(photophobia), premenstrual syndrome, digestive disturbances,
viral infections, Lyme disease (resulting from tick-bite), itchy
skin - with or without a rash, loss of hair, sensitive bladder,
mouth ulcers, generalised muscular stiffness, ‘foggy’ brain
(difficulty in concentrating and poor short term memory),
dyslexia (wrong words come out or what is read is not
understood), panic attacks, phobias, mood swings, irritability, a
feeling of hands and feet being swollen without evidence of fluid
retention.
The Official Definition of/criteria for FMS 5
Many people suffer from generalised, muscular aching and pain,
however this only officially becomes the medical condition
labelled ‘Fibromyalgia Syndrome’ (FMS) when this aching muscle
pain is accompanied by pain produced when pressure is applied to
certain specific body areas.
The most commonly accepted definition is that the person affected
needs to show:
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