Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Diffuse pain
Introduction
Synonyms and keywords: Aches; chronic pain; musculoskeletal pain
Overview
Overview
Causes
Causes
Life Threatening Causes
Common Causes
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Fibromyalgia
- Mood disorder
- Myositis
- Neuropathies
- Polymyalgia rheumatica
- Systemic lupus erythematosus
- Bilateral soft tissue rheumatism[1][2]
Causes by Organ System
| Cardiovascular | No underlying causes |
| Chemical/Poisoning | No underlying causes |
| Dental | No underlying causes |
| Dermatologic | No underlying causes |
| Drug Side Effect | Statins |
| Ear Nose Throat | No underlying causes |
| Endocrine | Hypothyroidism, Hyperthyroidism, Hyperparathyroidism, Adrenal insufficiency |
| Environmental | No underlying causes |
| Gastroenterologic | No underlying causes |
| Genetic | No underlying causes |
| Hematologic | Eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome |
| Iatrogenic | No underlying causes |
| Infectious Disease | Viral infection, Spirochetal infection, Bacterial infection |
| Musculoskeletal/Orthopedic | Paget’s disease, Osteomalacia, Myositis, Myofascial pain syndrome, Muscle soreness from overuse, Chronic fatigue syndrome |
| Neurologic | Entrapment neuropathy, Neuropathies, Multiple Sclerosis |
| Nutritional/Metabolic | Scurvy , Metabolic myopathy |
| Obstetric/Gynecologic | No underlying causes |
| Oncologic | Paraneoplastic syndrome |
| Ophthalmologic | No underlying causes |
| Overdose/Toxicity | No underlying causes |
| Psychiatric | Psycogenic rheumatism, Mood disorder, Depressed affect |
| Pulmonary | No underlying causes |
| Renal/Electrolyte | Hypophosphatemia |
| Rheumatology/Immunology/Allergy | Vasculitis, Systemic lupus erythematosus, Spondyloarthropathy, Sjogren syndrome, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Reiter’s Syndrome, Polymyalgia rheumatica, Fibromyalgia, Dermatomyositis, Dermatomyositis, Chronic fatigue syndrome , Bilateral soft tissue rheumatism, Postviral arthralgia, Ankylosing Spondylitis |
| Sexual | No underlying causes |
| Trauma | No underlying causes |
| Urologic | No underlying causes |
| Miscellaneous | Overuse Syndromes, Hypermobility |
Causes in Alphabetical Order
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]