Fibromyalgia puts illness in the spotlight
Earlier this month, superstar Lady Gaga took to social media to announce that she has long struggled with fibromyalgia.
The news has put the painful and poorly understood illness center stage.
Just this week, the singer announced on Twitter that shes postponing the European leg of her 2017 Joanne concert tour due to what she described as fibromyalgia-related trauma and chronic pain.
Gaga hasnt offered up details of her condition, although it comes just before a new TV documentary about the singer -- set to premiere Friday on Netflix -- that will reportedly highlight some of her health concerns.
But one thing is already clear: the disease does, at times, pull the rug out from under the performers best-laid plans.
The pain and disability seen in fibromyalgia is typically worse than almost any other chronic pain condition, explained Dr. Daniel Clauw. He is a professor of anesthesiology, medicine/rheumatology and psychiatry at the University of Michigan.
[The pain] doesnt just affect one area of the body you can avoid moving, and often is accompanied by severe fatigue, sleep, memory and other issues, Clauw noted. Dr. Marco Loggia added that it can be extremely debilitating. Loggia is associate director of the Center for Integrative Pain NeuroImaging at Massachusetts General Hospital in Charlestown, Mass.
Most of the patients we encounter in our research studies are significantly impacted by the disorder, Loggia noted, which sometimes prevents them from having normal work and social lives.
Fibromyalgia was first recognized by the American Medical Association as a distinct disease back in 1987, and is a relatively common chronic pain disorder, Loggia said.
How common? The National Fibromyalgia Chronic Pain Association (NFMCPA) indicates that the illness affects up to 4 percent of the worlds population, and anywhere from 5 million to 10 million Americans. It is much more common among women, who account for 80 percent of patients. Although it can affect children, it is most often diagnosed during middle age.
According to Loggia, the disorder is characterized by persistent, widespread pain, fatigue, un-refreshing sleep, memory loss, poor concentration and other symptoms. The NFMCPA adds that it can also give rise to sensitivity to light and sound, as well as to a degree of psychological distress in the form of anxiety and depression.
But what exactly is it, and how does it develop?
The picture is murky, with the U.S. National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases flatly acknowledging that the causes of fibromyalgia are unknown.
But experts suggest that the disorder is likely driven by several factors, including exposure to a traumatic event (like a car crash) and/or exposure to repetitive injuries. Central nervous system disturbances may also play a role, as might a genetic predisposition to feel pain in reaction to stimuli that most people perceive as benign. Struggling to find more in-depth answers, Loggia noted that American and German researchers have recently identified a subset of fibromyalgia patients who appear to have abnormalities in some of their peripheral small nerve fibers.
His own research suggests that some degree of brain inflammation may be at play, given that brain inflammation is common among chronic back pain sufferers and most fibromyalgia patients suffer from chronic back pain.
Unfortunately, Clauw cautioned that the failure to identify a clear cause for fibromyalgia has given rise to the myth that it is not real. That, he said, is decidedly not the case.
HealthDay
Traditionally, patients with fibromyalgia have been met with a great deal of skepticism, stigma and even condescension, including by many physicians that are supposed to take care of them, Loggia said. Even today, their pain is often dismissed as all in their head, not real, he added.
HealthDay
