Recent Fibromyalgia Findings: An abnormality in the central nervous system in which pain sensations are amplified - A chronic, neurologic disease
Thanks to Jim Carney for his blog entry Recent Fibromyalgia Findings - via ImmuneSupport.com 03-08-2006 Source: The Science & Research of CFS, The CFIDS Chronicle Special Issue, 2005-2006.
Although there are some immunological aberrations in FM, including a decreased number of natural killer cells, most researchers now believe that the illness is not an immune system disorder. "Essentially, there is nothing specifically immunological in fibromyalgia - and if there is, whatever little there is, I think it is secondary to the central nervous system problem that fibromyalgia patients have," says Dr. Muhammad Yunas. "It's a chronic, neurologic disease."
Numerous research studies have found biologic abnormalities in FM patients, and it's increasingly uncommon to hear physicians suggest the illness is all in your head. "There was a time when we thought fibromyalgia was psychosomatic. We now understand the pain in fibromyalgia is caused by an abnormality in the central nervous system in which pain sensations are amplified," explains Dr Robert Bennett, an FM expert at Oregon Health Sciences University.
This "central sensitization theory" is described in detail in the August 2005 issue of the Journal of Rheumatology. Basically, the theory is that fibromyalgia results from miscommunication among nerve impulses in the central nervous system - the brain and spinal cord - causing FM patients to feel intense pain when they should only feel mild discomfort or fatigue.
Recent investigations found multiple triggers for this amped-up response to pain. For instance, FM patients have three to four times higher levels than normal of substance P, a central nervous system neurotransmitter involved in pain processing. Researchers also found lower levels of substances that diminish pain sensation, such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.
Dr Daniel Clauw, the director of the Center for the Advancement of Clinical Research at the University of Michigan, says, "The pain of fibromyalgia is not occurring because of some injury or inflammation of the muscles or joints. There is something wrong with the way the central nervous system is processing pain from the peripheral tissues. It's overamplifying the pain."
Pharmaceutical companies are now interested in developing drug treatments base on the new research.
Reprinted with kind permission of the CFIDS Association of America, that nation's largest non-profit organization dedicated to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Online at www.cfids.org.
Although there are some immunological aberrations in FM, including a decreased number of natural killer cells, most researchers now believe that the illness is not an immune system disorder. "Essentially, there is nothing specifically immunological in fibromyalgia - and if there is, whatever little there is, I think it is secondary to the central nervous system problem that fibromyalgia patients have," says Dr. Muhammad Yunas. "It's a chronic, neurologic disease."
Numerous research studies have found biologic abnormalities in FM patients, and it's increasingly uncommon to hear physicians suggest the illness is all in your head. "There was a time when we thought fibromyalgia was psychosomatic. We now understand the pain in fibromyalgia is caused by an abnormality in the central nervous system in which pain sensations are amplified," explains Dr Robert Bennett, an FM expert at Oregon Health Sciences University.
This "central sensitization theory" is described in detail in the August 2005 issue of the Journal of Rheumatology. Basically, the theory is that fibromyalgia results from miscommunication among nerve impulses in the central nervous system - the brain and spinal cord - causing FM patients to feel intense pain when they should only feel mild discomfort or fatigue.
Recent investigations found multiple triggers for this amped-up response to pain. For instance, FM patients have three to four times higher levels than normal of substance P, a central nervous system neurotransmitter involved in pain processing. Researchers also found lower levels of substances that diminish pain sensation, such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.
Dr Daniel Clauw, the director of the Center for the Advancement of Clinical Research at the University of Michigan, says, "The pain of fibromyalgia is not occurring because of some injury or inflammation of the muscles or joints. There is something wrong with the way the central nervous system is processing pain from the peripheral tissues. It's overamplifying the pain."
Pharmaceutical companies are now interested in developing drug treatments base on the new research.
Reprinted with kind permission of the CFIDS Association of America, that nation's largest non-profit organization dedicated to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Online at www.cfids.org.
posted by Ingrid J. Jones at Wednesday, May 31, 2006
1 Comments:
Ingrid - I am writing an article about CFS blogs for a patient publication. I would like your permission to include your CFIDS Watch in a list of blogs to check out. Could you email me to discuss further? Many thanks, Jennie (fiospots@earthlink.net)
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