Fibromyalgia

The pain associated with Fibromyalgia is sometimes triggered by overwork, after infection, the inoculation of a vaccine after a physical trauma (fall, surgery ...) or psychological (bereavement, divorce, redundancy ...). This is called reactive fibromyalgia.

Diffuse hypersensitivity to pain

Yet nevertheless it is difficult to characterize fibromyalgia. French to Congress of Rheumatology in December 2005, Professor Paul Le Goff has been defined "as a diffuse hypersensitivity to pain and allodynia widespread [abnormal perception of pain]," scientifically proven. For a fibromyalgia - and functional MRI shows by example - the response to a stimulus is more important than in a control subject, showing the reality of pain. These experiments are not suitable for a diagnosis. It remains based on a set of symptoms, which is why we call fibromyalgia syndrome.

Mechanisms of Fibromyalgia still unexplained

The doctor proceeds by elimination of other diseases that can trigger the same symptoms as inflammatory rheumatism, hypothyroidism, sleep apnea, drug myopathy (muscle damage associated with taking certain drugs) or depression.

The patient insisted on this approach for diagnosis that would not prematurely label on fibromyalgia pain that is unexplainable. "It must not become an" trash. " A young woman with Fibromyalgia just discovered that she had really a polyarthritis that was brewing, "says Beatrice Chateau-Car, the Association of fibromyalgia de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. In addition, a person with fibromyalgia may also develop a disease that causes widespread pain, we should not do everything on the account of fibromyalgia. "

The diagnosis, once asked, what was reassuring: it is not a serious illness. The patient is not out of the woods, because we still do not know what triggers these disorders - a physical cause, such as intoxication or a psychological cause?

Work over the last ten years have looked for possible links between his appearance and depression and anxiety disorders. The psychological cause is viewed with suspicion by the patients. Testimonies abound of unwanted among psychiatrists and psychoanalysts: "It was running in circles. I felt good, I think that I was not depressed and that is what he finally concluded, "I had a long psychotherapy. If it helped me in my relationships with others, it has not changed my pain ", etc..

For Carole Robert, delegate general of France Fibromyalgia, "there is a lot of depression in fibromyalgia, but that is the result of a disease that causes them to suffer and isolated."
A multidisciplinary care

Most experts agree on the idea that a combination of factors contribute to the condition fibromyalgia. A notice qu'entendent patients' associations, which, for refusing a "psychiatric" of fibromyalgia do not rule out a psychological component, as in many diseases.

Hence care is also multidisciplinary, competitive results, although uneven.

Drug in the arsenal, there is such as analgesics, some antidepressants and anxiolytics. With varying results, depending on the patients.

Relaxation, controlled physical activity, psychological treatments (including cognitive-behavioral therapy) and lifestyle have an essential place.

Massages, balneotherapy, physiotherapy, sophrology, hypnosis, homeopathy, acupuncture, cures, transcutaneous neurostimulator or soft gymnastics ... patients have resorted to all kinds of "technical", much of which end of alternative medicine. "But be careful not to" bricolage ".

We can try diets, but this must be done in a controlled manner to prevent shortcomings, "warns Michelle Judic, the Fibromyalgia Association of Morbihan, which also warns against so-called experts, some offer surgery.
Not serious, but disabling

While not, strictly speaking, a serious illness, fibromyalgia has a considerable impact on social life, at some point to prevent the continuation of the occupation. Not on the list of diseases of long duration, disabling his character is left to the discretion of the medical officers of Social Security. Which are still in their ranks, according to the associations, number of fibrosceptiques. The difficulty for the fibromyalgia is to be believed, but on that side, progress is being made.
Source : French medical press