OBJECTIVES To test the hypothesis that joint hypermobility may play a part in the pathogenesis of pain in fibromyalgia, schoolchildren were examined for the coexistence of joint hypermobility and fibromyalgia. METHODS The study group consisted of 338 children (179 boys, 159 girls; mean age 11.5 years, range 9-15 years) from one public school in Beer-Sheva, Israel. In the assessment of joint h...

Fibromyalgia is an intractable widespread pain disorder that is most frequently diagnosed in women. It has traditionally been classified as either a musculoskeletal disease or a psychological disorder. Accumulating evidence now suggests that fibromyalgia may be associated with CNS dysfunction. In this study, we investigate anatomical changes in the brain associated with fibromyalgia. Using voxe...

BACKGROUND Most knowledge of fibromyalgia comes from the clinical setting, where healthcare-seeking behavior and selection issues influence study results. The characteristics of fibromyalgia in the general population have not been studied in detail. METHODS We developed and tested surrogate study specific criteria for fibromyalgia in rheumatology practices using variables from the US National...

To develop criteria for the classification of fibromyalgia, we studied 558 consecutive patients: 293 patients with fibromyalgia and 265 control patients. Interviews and examinations were performed by trained, blinded assessors. Control patients for the group with primary fibromyalgia were matched for age and sex, and limited to patients with disorders that could be confused with primary fibromy...

Objective(s): Fibromyalgia pain is a mysterious clinical pain syndrome, characterized by inflammation in the brain, whose molecular mechanisms are still unknown. Females are more commonly affected by fibromyalgia, exhibiting symptoms such as widespread mechanical pain, immune dysfunction, sleep disturbances, and poor quality of life. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been us...

Fibromyalgia is characterized by chronic widespread pain and bodily tenderness and is often accompanied by affective disturbances. Accumulating evidence indicates that fibromyalgia may involve a dysfunction of modulatory systems in the brain. While brain dopamine is best known for its role in pleasure, motivation and motor control, recent evidence suggests that it is also involved in pain modul...

BACKGROUND Patients with fibromyalgia often feel disabled in the performance of daily activities. Psychological factors seem to play a pronounced disabling role in fibromyalgia. The objectives of the study are: Firstly, to investigate contributing factors for disability in fibromyalgia. Secondly, to study psychological distress in patients with fibromyalgia as compared to other nonspecific pain...

Objectives The objectives of this study were to evaluate the serum levels of adipokines in women with fibromyalgia with and without overweight/obesity, and to correlate the adipokines levels with clinical parameters associated with fibromyalgia and adipose tissue mass (body fat). Subjects and methods The study included 100 women divided into four groups: (a) fibromyalgia and overweight/obesit...

Fibromyalgia syndrome is a chronic widespread pain condition. Other symptoms often can be found, such as fatigue, lack of sleep, irritable bowel syndrome, and mood disturbance. In addition, depression is a clinically relevant symptom that commonly found in fibromyalgia syndrome patients. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor has been known to play a role in fibromyalgia syndrome patients. Additiona...

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to examine the health and economic burden associated with fibromyalgia among adults in Japan. MATERIALS AND METHODS Data from the 2011-2014 Japan National Health and Wellness Survey (n=115,271), a nationally representative survey of adults, were analyzed. The greedy matching algorithm was used to match the respondents who self-reported a diagnosis of fibromya...