Fibromyalgia now considered as a lifelong central nervous system (CNS) disorder

First Published here on 2015/06/05

I have read this and found it to be an interesting concept so am sharing it with you 🙂

However, I personally don’t agree with classifying Fibromyalgia to be ‘the second most common ‘rheumatic’ disorder behind osteoarthritis’ as the article suggests in its opening and ask readers to read this with an open mind regarding the fact that Fibromyalgia is still officially classed as being undetermined with cause unknown 🙂

Originally posted in News-Medical (The Latest Developments in Life Sciences & Medicine) an on-line medical news site and sourced from the American Pain Society.

Opening paragraph:

Fibromyalgia is the second most common rheumatic disorder behind osteoarthritis and, though still widely misunderstood, is now considered to be a lifelong central nervous system disorder, which is responsible for amplified pain that shoots through the body in those who suffer from it. Daniel Clauw, M.D., professor of anesthesiology, University of Michigan, analyzed the neurological basis for fibromyalgia in a plenary session address today at the American Pain Society Annual Scientific Meeting.
Fibromyalgia now considered as a lifelong central nervous

Link to the article:

Fibromyalgia now considered as a lifelong central nervous system disorder.

As we are aware the cause of Fibromyalgia is unknown and this article discusses one possibility which is that, as the title suggests, ‘Fibromyalgia is now considered as a lifelong Central Nervous System disorder (CNS).

Dr Clauw gives an explanation into how our Fibromyalgia pain stems from the brain and spinal cord more than it does from anywhere else in our bodies. He goes on to express the well known belief that Fibromyalgia is associated with disturbances to how the brain processes pain and other sensory information. Clauw then suggests that Fibromyalgia patients are likely to present with mainly Musculoskeletal Pain and problems that cannot be otherwise explained such as an injury or inflammation.

“Because pain pathways throughout the body are amplified in fibromyalgia patients, pain can occur anywhere, so chronic headaches, visceral pain and sensory hyper-responsiveness are common in people with this painful condition,” said Clauw.

Link to a definition and explanation of the CNS

BBC schools & science > thenervoussystem

Source: BBC GCSE bitesize/science online study aids.

The diagram in the featured content is from an earlier paper.

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