Jul 22, 2008 2:01 pm US/Eastern
The Difficulty In Diagnosing Fibromyalgia
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
There's new hope for the 10 million Americans who suffer from the chronic condition fibromyalgia. Often misdiagnosed and misunderstood,
fibromyalgia can cause people pain at even the slightest touch.
The debilitating syndrome strikes mostly in middle-aged women, though it can occur at any age. Phyllis Talarico has lived in agony for the past ten years. "Today, I feel pain all over. My legs are hurting, my back is. I couldn't get of bed this morning."
Symptoms include chronic, widespread pain, intense fatigue, sleep or memory problems, stiffness and migraines. Yet many people are often misdiagnosed.
Lynne Matallana is one of those people. "It took over 37 doctors over a 2-1/2 year period before I even heard the word fibromyalgia, and I started to think maybe there wasn't anything wrong with me and that I was just imagining these symptoms."
Experts say the problem is, not all doctors are familiar with the condition. The symptoms may seem unrelated, and conventional tests typically come back normal.
"It doesn't have any markers to standard blood tests or x-rays," explained
Dr. Patrick Wood, an expert on fibromyalgia. "There's nothing in the blood that says, 'I have fibromyalgia.' There's nothing you're going to see on an x-ray."
While doctors often try ruling out other problems first, the condition can be confirmed using a special exam called the
Manual Tender Points Survey.
"The characteristic18 tender points are palpated with the thumb to determine whether or not they're tender to light touch," said Dr. Wood.
The exact cause of fibromyalgia is not known, although it often occurs after an acute illness or injury. Some experts believe stress or genetics may play a role. It is traditionally considered a muscle and joint condition, though the majority of new research is focusing on the brain.
"Changes in brain chemistry and levels of chemicals such as dopamine or serotonin are believed to be implicated," said Dr. Wood.
While there is no known cure, the FDA recently approved the first drug to treat fibromyalgia. Experts believe that is just the beginning and that there will be a host of other medications available for patients in the near future. Many patients are able to ease their symptoms with a combination of medication, exercise, physical therapy and relaxation, as well as other alternative therapies.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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