Fibromyalgia - An Emerging but Controversial Condition - 2014 JAMA Update

Fibromyalgia is not a rheumatological disease but a central pain syndrome. It is a complicated condition that tends to last a long time, although people do get better.

The syndrome termed fibromyalgia or fibrositis has attracted the interest of investigators for quite some time. Although some authors believe that fibromyalgia is not a discrete condition, rheumatologists now report that fibromyalgia is one of the most common diagnoses in ambulatory practice. Recent estimates of the prevalence of fibromyalgia in the United States have ranged from 3 to 6 million.

This JAMA video introduces a free review article on fibromyalgia from April 2014



What is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia can be thought of as a centralized pain state. Centralized pain is a lifelong disorder beginning in adolescence or young adulthood manifested by pain experienced in different body regions at different times.

How common is fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is present in as much as 2% to 8% of the population, is characterized by widespread pain, and is often accompanied by fatigue, memory problems, and sleep disturbances.

How to treat fibromyalgia?

Numerous treatments are available for managing fibromyalgia that are supported by high-quality evidence:

- nonpharmacological therapies (education, exercise, cognitive behavioral therapy)
- pharmacological therapies (tricyclics, serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, and gabapentinoids)

Free content from JAMA:

JAMA | Fibromyalgia:  A Clinical Review http://buff.ly/1qH5ITI
JAMA Patient Page | Fibromyalgia http://buff.ly/1qH5HiH

Related reading:

Fibromyalgia is not a rheumatological disease but a central pain syndrome http://buff.ly/1qH4CaH
JAMA Network | JAMA | Fibromyalgia Syndrome:  An Emerging but Controversial Condition http://buff.ly/1m6Dv9w