Fibromyalgia – Origins, History & Causes of Fibromyalgia

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Over the past 20 years, research has shown that people with fibromyalgia are “sick in the head!” No not, sick in the head, like you’ve imagined your pain and fatigue—sick in the head because there are many physiological abnormalities taking place in the brain.

Physiological Signs You Have Fibromyalgia:

For example, we now know that people with fibromyalgia have decreased blood flow to certain areas of the brain that help modulate pain signals sent from the spinal cord to the brain.

Researchers have also found genetic markers that might signal the illness and most recently, mutation in the regulatory region of the serotonin transporter gene.

One of the most important research findings has been duplicated in multiple studies. This research shows that people with fibromyalgia have three to four times the normal level of substance P, a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system that is involved in pain processing.

And more recently, researchers have found deficiencies in growth hormones and low levels of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF), which is also called somatomedin C, a hormone that promotes bone and muscle growth.

Other major findings show that people with fibromyalgia have low levels of important neurochemicals, or organic substances located in the brain that are involved in neurological processes including the following:

• Low levels of serotonin, a nervous system chemical messenger (neurotransmitter). Serotonin plays important roles in feelings of well being, modulating pain, and promoting deep sleep.
• Low levels of norepinephrine, dopamine, and cortisol, which are important stress hormones.
• Low levels of the muscle-cell chemicals phosphocreatine and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). These chemicals regulate calcium in muscle cells, which helps them contract and relax.

As the research continues, it will be impossible for anyone to doubt the physical abnormalities that occur within the brain and body of a person with fibromyalgia!

Who Might Get Fibromyalgia:

Fibromyalgia is often referred to as a woman’s illness because 75 to 85 percent of the people who receive a diagnosis are women. The truth is, however, it does affect millions of people, and anyone (including men and children) can get it. Fibromyalgia does not discriminate based on sex, age, race, or nationality. It is estimated that 5 percent of the world’s population has fibromyalgia and that millions of people remain undiagnosed.

We know that most people develop fibromyalgia symptoms in their 30s or 40s, but it is not uncommon to be diagnosed in the 20s or 50s … or at any other age. In the United States, I out of every 50 Americans has fibromyalgia. It exists in industrialized countries, third-world countries, and even isolated populations such as the Amish.

Although symptom development is not considered common in children, an explanation for this might be that until recently, researchers did not suspect that children could get fibromyalgia. However, many adults who receive a diagnosis remember having unexplained symptoms for many years, even reaching back into their childhood.

Although not as many men get fibromyalgia as women, this does not mean that men do not suffer the same intense symptoms. Many explanations have been given for why more women get fibromyalgia than men, such as variations in hormones and pain sensitivity, but to date, there is no definitive answer. We do know that men and women are different biologically and that women have hormonally dependent pain traits.

The important thing is that we must be aware that men do develop the syndrome and that they too can benefit from learning a multidisciplinary approach.

Causes of Fibromyalgia:

Whether the onset of your fibromyalgia was drawn out over a long period of time or as the result of a trauma – causing symptoms to virtually appear overnight – you will find yourself facing countless questions, wondering what methods will help you cope and eventually help improve your symptoms of this chronic pain condition.

As you come to better understand this illness and accept that although it is chronic in nature, you can take back control of your life, you will learn what options are available to help you. By developing a self-management plan, you will better manage your symptoms, discover what works best for you, and improve your outlook and overall quality of life.

In this article you will learn that life with fibromyalgia is like taking a journey into unknown territory. It can be frustrating and scary, but it can also give you the opportunity to learn and experience new things and make changes that will help improve both your emotional and physical health.

You will be most successful if you take things a day at a time, focusing on setting realistic goals, approaching life with a positive attitude and prioritizing and choosing the necessary steps to find improved overall health and well being. There are ways to feel inspired by the journey you are about to take.

How to Find Out if You Have Fibromyalgia:

It wasn’t long ago that only a handful of researchers knew the word fibromyalgia. Throughout the 1900s, if a person complained of chronic pain throughout their body, the diagnosis was called fibrositis, a condition that was thought to be an inflammatory disease of the muscles. But in the 1970s, a small group of researchers rejected the idea that this kind of pain was of an inflammatory nature and began writing about the association of chronic muscle pain, tender points, and sleep abnormalities.

A new understanding was developing for this group of specific symptoms and the term fibrositis was no longer appropriate. In 1976 a new name was established and fibromyalgia became a word that would eventually be known by millions of people.

A word that defined their symptoms and gave credibility to a large group of people with confusing symptoms. A word that gave these people a context for which they could move forward with their life. A word that united a group of individuals who at one time felt isolated and alone.

So the foundation for a better understanding of fibromyalgia was established, but for those suffering with its symptoms, the process of understanding couldn’t occur fast enough. For years if a patient was diagnosed with fibromyalgia it was the first time they had ever even heard of the word, and they had no idea what the diagnosis would mean for their future.

Fortunately, our knowledge about fibromyalgia is growing fast and the number of researchers involved in solving the mysteries of this condition has increased tremendously. Although we still have much to learn about fibromyalgia, the process of awareness and comprehension has been set in motion and the answers and solutions are in our future.

History of Fibromyalgia:

The name fibromyalgia comes from the Latin words fibro, my, and algia, which translated mean fibrous tissues, muscles, and pain. Together they describe the main symptom of fibromyalgia: painful muscles, tendons, and ligaments. However, widespread pain throughout the soft tissues of the body is only one of the symptoms that are a part of the syndrome.

Chronic pain is also accompanied by fatigue, disordered sleep, stiffness, numbness, cognitive difficulties, anxiety, muscle weakness, and sensitivity to light and sound. Its original name was fibrositis, which was first used in a 1904 lecture by Sir William Gowers. The disease’s name was changed to fibromyalgia in 1976 and then in 1990 the American College of Rheumatology established the existing criteria for diagnosis.

Gowers and his colleagues believed that fibrositis was caused by inflammation of the fibrous tissues of the body. However, the research of the 1970s and 1980s proved that there was no inflammation of the muscles and the new research focus has become central nervous system dysfunction.

People with fibromyalgia have physical abnormalities that result in pain amplification, causing pain to be perceived even when they are exposed to sensations that would not normally be painful. For example, you might find that certain clothing, a soft touch on your arm, or even a bright light can cause extreme pain and fatigue.

Biological Causes of Fibromyalgia:

Many of our medical questions are answered after we have the technology to let us “see things” more clearly. With today’s new functional imaging techniques, researchers are able to actually take pictures of a functioning brain. In studies that have compared the brain of a person with fibromyalgia to a brain of someone who does not have fibromyalgia, they found support that there was an altered or malfunctioning of sensory input in the fibromyalgia patient’s brain.

In simple terms, a fibromyalgia brain works differently than a healthy person’s brain and the result is a miscommunication of pain signals.

This type of study has also shown that people with fibromyalgia have decreased levels of blood flow to the region of the brain that processes pain.

Is Fibromyalgia Hereditary?

But why do fibromyalgia patients have disordered sensory processing? The medical community suspects that there is a genetic predisposition to the illness. It appears that fibromyalgia runs in families, being more common among siblings and children of people who have fibromyalgia.

Many people report that their symptoms developed after a triggering event such as an accident or injury, viral infection, surgery, emotional or physical stress, or even exposure to certain drugs or chemicals.

Fibromyalgia that has a quick onset after a car accident or physical injury is referred to as post-traumatic fibromyalgia. A large portion of the medical community accepts the current evidence that shows 35 to 65 percent of people develop fibromyalgia symptoms after experiencing a physical trauma.

Research has shown that a very high number of people are diagnosed with fibromyalgia after car accidents and other injuries. Some believe that the accident (or other trauma) might cause a disturbance in how the central nervous system works, which results in pain amplification.

It is thought that the abnormalities in the central nervous system include imbalances or alterations in certain chemicals and hormones causing increased pain perception.

Although physical trauma seems to be the most commonly noted reason for symptom onset, emotional stress can also be a trigger.

Other Possible Causes of Fibromyalgia:

Others cannot identify a specific cause for the onset of symptoms and note that symptoms came on gradually over time. Another area that has received a lot of attention as a possible cause of fibromyalgia is disordered sleep. People with fibromyalgia often have trouble getting to sleep, staying asleep, or getting into the deep levels of sleep that are needed to feel refreshed in the morning.

Although there is no debate over the fact that people with fibromyalgia experience sleep deprivation, whether this is a cause of fibromyalgia or is just another symptom of the illness is still being evaluated. Because fibromyalgia affects people in different ways, there have been many different ideas on its cause(s).

Other explanations have included nutritional deficiencies, immune system dysfunction, psychiatric causes, yeast infections, environmental toxins, chronic infections, changes in muscle metabolism, lack of exercise, thyroid conditions, Chiari malformation, and even that fibromyalgia does not even exist.

Most researchers do believe that fibromyalgia is a medical entity and that it probably has multiple causes.

Cure & Treatment for Fibromyalgia:

By developing a lifestyle that reduces stress and includes structured sleep habits and avoidance of activities that increase pain, it is possible to reduce the amount of discomfort that you experience.

Although there currently is no cure for fibromyalgia, it can be managed. By learning what it is and how to develop your own self-management program, you can reduce its effect on your life and become a fibromyalgia survivor!