Fibromyalgia Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention
Understanding
Fibromyalgia or muscle pain is a syndrome that causes pain and stiffness in the muscles, tendons and joints throughout the body. This condition is chronic or long-term.
Fibromyalgia can be experienced by anyone. Generally, fibromyalgia sufferers are women with an age range of 30-50 years. However, it is possible that men and children can also have this condition.
This disease can stand alone or be part of another disease, such as rheumatoid arthritis or systemic lupus disease.
Symptom
Fibromyalgia has many symptoms and is not the same for every sufferer. What all the symptoms have in common is the aches and pains that sufferers experience throughout their bodies.
Mild or not the symptoms experienced are usually influenced by several things. Among them are the stress level of the sufferer, weather changes, and the level of daily activity of the sufferer.
The main symptoms of fibromyalgia include:
- Widespread pain The pain spreads throughout the body or in only a few areas, such as the neck or back. The sensation may be burning or prickling. This pain will take place continuously, and the severity can vary.
- Increased sensitivity to pain. Even a gentle touch can be very painful, and it can take a while for the pain to completely go away. Sufferers can also be sensitive to other things, such as light or the taste of certain foods.
- Fatigue. Fibromyalgia can cause extreme fatigue to the point where you feel completely powerless, so you can’t move.
- Poor sleep quality. Sufferers often feel tired even though they have had enough rest.
- Cognitive disturbances, such as difficulty concentrating or frequent babbling.
- Headache. Usually, this is a result of neck and shoulder stiffness caused by fibromyalgia.
- Irritable bowel syndrome, which results in sufferers experiencing constipation or even diarrhea.
Reason
Actually, the cause of fibromyalgia is not known with certainty. However, experts say that this condition is caused by several factors, including:
- Abnormal pain signals. The brain, spinal cord and nerves are the centers of the nervous system that send signals throughout the body by means of special cells. Changes in the way it works will make the central nervous system more sensitive to pain signals.
- Imbalance of chemical compounds, such as dopamine and cortisol.
- Hereditary factor. The factor of someone affected by fibromyalgia will increase if there is a family history of the same disease.
- Age. Generally experienced by those aged 30-50 years.
- Gender. Men are at lower risk than women for developing fibromyalgia.
- Physical or emotional trauma, such as suffering from a viral infection, giving birth, or having recently experienced a traumatic event such as the loss of a spouse.
- Suffering from diseases related to muscles, joints and bones. For example rheumatoid arthritis.
Diagnosis
Fibromyalgia is a disease that is difficult to diagnose because apart from its similar symptoms to other diseases, there is no specific examination for this disease. Usually, the doctor will ask about the symptoms that the patient feels in his daily activities.
Due to the similarity of symptoms with many other diseases, there are several criteria that are generally used to help establish the diagnosis, such as:
- The patient experiences moderately severe pain in at least three to six different areas of the body. Or, mild pain in at least seven different areas of the body.
- Patients experience the same level of symptom severity for at least three months.
- There is no other cause of the patient’s symptoms.
Before confirming the condition of fibromyalgia, the doctor will carry out further tests to eliminate the possibility of other diseases. The types of examinations carried out are urine tests, blood tests, and X-rays.
Treatment
Handling fibromyalgia will only relieve symptoms, but not cure because until now there is no cure. The doctor will suggest treatment according to the symptoms you are feeling.
Because fibromyalgia has several symptoms, it means that no treatment can treat all of the symptoms. And treatment for one patient will usually be different from another patient.
Patients may be asked to try several types of treatment before finally finding the right one. Usually, this will involve a combination of drugs and nonmedical treatments.
- Use of drugs
Generally, doctors will give the following drugs to relieve fibromyalgia symptoms: - Pain relievers, such as paracetamol. Patients must be careful because pain relievers can trigger addiction. In addition, if it is consumed for a certain period of time, over time the body will become immune so that the treatment becomes useless.
- Antidepressant medication. This drug will help produce several chemical compounds that carry signals to and from the brain, known as neurotransmitters. Side effects can include dizziness, weight gain, and constipation.
- Sleeping pills. Fibromyalgia can affect the patient’s sleep patterns. If the patient gets enough rest, the symptoms of the disease will not be too pronounced.
- Other treatments
In dealing with fibromyalgia, other treatments are needed besides the use of drugs, such as:
o Taking a warm bath.
o Cognitive therapy. Patients can find strategies to deal with stress and deal with problems from a positive perspective.
o Relaxation techniques.
o Massage.
Prevention
Because until now the cause of fibromyalgia has not been clearly identified, there is no action that can be taken to prevent fibromyalgia.