THE fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized mainly by the presence of ache muscle. It affects more women, but men can also develop it. In Brazil, this syndrome affects about 2.5% of the population, with a predominance of females aged between 35 and 44 years. Next, we'll learn about fibromyalgia, its symptoms and diagnosis, and how it is currently treated.
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What is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a syndrome whose most striking feature is generalized and chronic muscle pain. However, it is important to note that it does not cause any inflammation where pain is felt. The syndrome, however, does not only involve pain, with patients reporting tiredness, anxiety, headaches, memory problems, among others.
What Causes Fibromyalgia?
At causes of fibromyalgia are still unknown. Some people relate the illness to psychological or physical trauma, such as accidents. It is believed that it can appear after chronic pain and even severe infection. Fibromyalgia may also have some component genetic.
What are the symptoms of fibromyalgia?
You main symptoms of fibromyalgia are: pain throughout the body, fatigue, drowsiness, numbness, morning stiffness, feeling bloated, anxiety, depression, irritability, headaches, dizziness, memory and concentration problems, among others.
THE depression is a worrying factor in fibromyalgia, affecting about 50% of patients. You sleep disorders they are also frequent signs of the disease. Patients usually complain that, even after hours of sleep, they wake up tired, this is called non-restorative sleep.
It is important to highlight that, as it is a disease that does not cause any injury, it was often not believed that the pain reported by patients was real. It is now known that this pain is caused due to an increase in painful impulses, and people with this disease have a relatively greater sensitivity to pain when compared to other people.
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How is fibromyalgia diagnosed?
Fibromyalgia presents a difficult diagnosis, and until recently, doctors did it based on some criteria, such as: pain lasting more than three months; presence of tender points (18 points were established by the American College of Rheumatology); and pain in all quadrants (pain on the right and left sides and above and below the waist).
Currently, however, the presence of sensitive points, the famous tender points, is no longer considered in the diagnosis. This is due to the fact that many doctors analyzed them inadequately or did not analyze them, which led to wrong diagnoses.
nowadays, doctors make the diagnosis of fibromyalgia based on the clinical condition reported by the patient. Other tests can be ordered just to rule out the diagnosis of other diseases, since there are no tests capable of confirming fibromyalgia.
What is the treatment for fibromyalgia?
fibromyalgia has no cure, being that the treatment is, therefore, only a way to reduce the symptoms. The patient has a better outcome if treated by a multidisciplinary team, including physiotherapists and psychologists. One of the main recommendations is to carry out physical activities, principally aerobic exercise.
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In addition to physical activity and psychological assistance, the patient may be subjected to the use of medicines that will help you, for example, to improve pain and sleep and to act against depression. Therefore, we can see that the treatment of fibromyalgia is based on a combination of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments.
It is noteworthy that, despite not having a cure, fibromyalgia is a disease non-degenerative, does not cause deformities or physical disability. By strictly following the treatment, the patient can considerably reduce pain.
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Andrea Raffin / Shutterstock.com
By Vanessa Sardinha dos Santos
Biology teacher