What You Need to Know About Fibromyalgia

What You Need to Know About Fibromyalgia Fibromyalgia is defined as a condition that causes widespread pain throughout the body, sleep problems and fatigue, along with frequent emotional and mental distress. Fibromyalgia symptoms typically begin following physical trauma, surgery, infection or significant psychological stress. Fibromyalgia symptoms, which occur more frequently in women than in men, may also develop gradually over time without a single trigger. Prof. Dr. Erdal Gilgil from the Rheumatology Department at Memorial Antalya Hospital explained what needs to be known about fibromyalgia and treatment methods.

Generally appears in young women

Fibromyalgia is a type of rheumatic disease. Generally, when rheumatism is mentioned, a single disease comes to mind. However, there are nearly 200 rheumatic diseases classified into two main groups: inflammatory and non-inflammatory. It is the most common among rheumatic diseases. Fibromyalgia generally occurs in young women of reproductive age. It is rarely seen in childhood and is not a genetically inherited disease.

Causes of fibromyalgia

• Fatigue,
• Depression,
• Sleep problems,
• Working in stressful environments,
• Working in jobs that cause excessive fatigue and require maximum capacity utilization.

Can be felt throughout the entire body

Fibromyalgia symptoms typically manifest as widespread body or joint pain. In fibromyalgia, which is generally seen in young women, patients may experience pain severe enough to cause fear of becoming disabled in later stages. The severity of the pain observed suggests that the disease will progress further. In fact, it is a non-progressive disease, but pain is felt throughout the entire body. Fibromyalgia develops in soft tissue (muscle) rather than in the joints.

The main symptoms of fibromyalgia are as follows;

1. Pain throughout the entire body and joints,
2. Weakness,
3. Quick fatigue,
4. Waking up unrefreshed in the morning,
5. Difficulty falling asleep,
6. Severe headaches,
7. Abdominal pain,
8. Cramping during menstrual periods,
9. Functional bowel diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Providing comfort to the patient is very important

Fibromyalgia is frequently confused with other diseases. There is no standard test to diagnose fibromyalgia. It can be understood through a detailed examination conducted by a rheumatology specialist. To make a fibromyalgia diagnosis, certain laboratory tests are performed to rule out other diseases. Once fibromyalgia is diagnosed, the most important point is to provide comfort to the patients. Because despite the prevalence of fibromyalgia, it needs to be understood that it is not a progressive disease and will not lead to disability.

The importance of physical activity in treatment is very significant

Drug therapy is applied in fibromyalgia. Antidepressants with proven efficacy play an important role. Sleep problems are very important in this disease. Establishing a sleep routine is important for patient comfort. Antiepileptic drugs are used in treatment. These are drugs used mainly for neuropathic pain, or pain originating from nerves, and are also effective in fibromyalgia. Medications alone are not sufficient in fibromyalgia treatment. Patients are advised to exercise regularly. Activities such as walking, running, cycling, tennis and swimming should be done daily.  

Risk factors that cause fibromyalgia are as follows;

• Fatigue,
• Depression,
• Sleep problems,
• Working in stressful environments,
• Working in jobs that cause excessive fatigue and require maximum capacity utilization.