Fibromyalgia history and symptoms

The defining symptoms of fibromyalgia are chronic, widespread pain and tenderness to light touch.

The defining symptoms of fibromyalgia are chronic, widespread pain and tenderness to light touch. Other symptoms include:^{[1][2][3][4][5][6][7]}

• Other symptoms often attributed to fibromyalgia that may be due to a comorbid disorder include myofascial pain syndrome, diffuse, non-dermatomal paresthesias, functional bowel disturbances, and irritable bowel syndrome (possibly linked to lower levels of ghrelin, genitourinary symptoms, and interstitial cystitis), dermatological disorders, headaches, myoclonic twitches, and symptomatic hypoglycemia.
• Though fibromyalgia is classified based on the presence of chronic, widespread pain, pain may also be localized in areas such as the shoulders, neck, low back, hips, or other areas.
• Many patients also experience varying degrees of facial pain and have high rates of comorbid temporomandibular joint disorder and the symptoms of fibromyalgia are often aggravated by unrelated illness.
• Symptoms can have a slow onset, and many patients have mild symptoms beginning in childhood that are often misdiagnosed as growing pains.
• The disorder does not cause inflammation, which is instead characteristic of rheumatoid arthritis. However, some NSAIDs may temporarily reduce pain symptoms in some patients.

The following factors have been proposed to exacerbate symptoms of pain in patients with fibromyalgia:

• Increased psychosocial stress
• Excessive physical exertion (exercise seems to decrease the pain threshold of people with fibromyalgia but increase the pain threshold in healthy individuals)^[8]
• Lack of slow-wave sleep
• Changes in humidity and barometric pressure (see RSD, CRPS, and thermography)