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

What is the status of U.S. health care today - JAMA video

Health Care in the United States has changed over the past several decades for those who receive, provide and pay for care. So, what is the status of U.S. health care today and the trends that emerged in the last 30 years? Catherine Dolf explains in this week's JAMA Report:



The key part of the video is the triangular diagram here, at 1:33 min:  http://youtu.be/PyOlMYK2Y4o?t=1m33s

References:

JAMA Network | JAMA | The Anatomy of Health Care in the United States http://bit.ly/1d3f49j

Statins for Heart Disease Prevention (With Known Heart Disease) | TheNNT http://bit.ly/1d3fhti

7 healthy traits linked to lower death risk but only 2% of people have all 7 - are you one of them?

People who meet the 7 healthy goals recommended by the American Heart Association are less likely to die of cardiovascular causes.

Here there are:

- not smoking
- moderate exercise at least 5 times a week
- untreated blood pressure under 120/80
- HbA1c under 5.7%
- total cholesterol under 200 mg/dL
- BMI less than 25
- a diet high in produce, fish, and whole grains, and low in sodium and sugary beverages

Less than 2% of people reached all 7 ideals.

Those who met 6-7 goals had reduced risks for all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 0.49), compared with participants meeting zero or one goal.

References:

Healthy Habits Associated with Reduced Mortality Risk - Physician's First Watch http://bit.ly/N9x8ha
Trends in Cardiovascular Health Metrics and Associations With All-Cause and CVD Mortality Among US Adults - JAMA http://bit.ly/N9xzYO
Image source: OpenClipart.org, public domain.