Reader\'s Digest Australia - 05.2019

22 | May• 2019

Fibromyalgia

Explained

BY SAMANTHA RIDEOUT

Why doctors are finally

paying attention to it

STILL POORLY UNDERSTOOD

by medical scientists but at last

an area of widespread research,

fibromyalgia is the name for a

cluster of symptoms that affects an

estimated two to three per cent of

the world’s adults.

The most prominent of these

symptoms is pain spread widely

around the body. Unlike arthritis

and certain related conditions, it

doesn’t cause damage to joints,

muscles or other tissues. The pain

is usually described as dull, constant

and without apparent cause.

Sufferers might also experience

muscle stiffness, headaches, brain

fog or fatigue.

Most patients are diagnosed in

middle age, although their symptoms

often start earlier. Fibromyalgia’s

exact cause remains unconfirmed. A

popular theory is that it’s a disorder

of the central nervous system – ie,

something’s gone wrong with the

way the brain processes pain signals

from the nerves. Scientists are

also exploring the possibility that

hormone levels or abnormal sleep

cycles may play a role.

Because patients show few or no

external signs of their suffering,

H E ALTH

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