Fibromyalgia is called “ghost disease” either invisible since it causes severe generalized pain and persistent exhaustion, as well as a variety of other symptoms that can present in each patient in a different way, such as headaches, insomnia, anxiety and fatigue.
Of the patients who suffer from it, nine out of ten are women and appear between 20 and 50 years old. , although cases have also been detected in children. Fibromyalgia is disabling and it is estimated that between 3 and 6 percent of the world’s population lives with it.
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It is not known exactly what causes fibromyalgia. . It has been believed that it has a neurological origin, but it has not been 100 percent proven. Fibromyalgia can often be confused with chronic fatigue syndrome. which further complicates the diagnosis of any of them and their treatment.
The Mayo Clinic in the United States explains that fibromyalgia is a disorder that It is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and problems with central nervous system function that affects sleep. memory and mood, there are even documented cases of patients with significant anxiety symptoms.
There is no cure for fibromyalgia but rather the symptoms are treated and thus the disease can be more bearable, it must be a personalized and multidisciplinary treatment that includes physical therapy, psychological care, emotional support, as well as pharmacological treatment. Exercise, relaxation, and stress-reducing measures can also help.
Martha Ayala She was diagnosed more than eight years ago and this is how she explains how she lives with the disease:
I go to bed with pain and I wake up with pain, but I have always had something very clear in my head: I am not going to get depressed, I am not going to lie down in a bed and hug it because I have always said: the protagonist of my life I am, not the pain; pain is my companion and it will be until he dies, but the protagonist of my life is me
Researchers believe that fibromyalgia amplifies pain sensations because it affects the way the brain and spinal cord They process pain and non-pain signals.
According to the site Mayo Clinic the disease debuts after an event, such as physical trauma, surgery, infection, or significant psychological stress. In other cases, symptoms accumulate progressively over time, without a triggering event.
Chronic Fatigue
Although they share symptoms and some doctors may confuse chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia, Both pathologies can manifest together and are characterized by producing extreme fatigue.
It is considered chronic fatigue syndrome very close to fibromyalgia or a partial expression of it, They can even manifest together, especially in their early stages, which causes extreme fatigue.
Fibromyalgia is of the rheumatic type, meaning there is generalized musculoskeletal pain. while the chronic fatigue It is not rheumatic and has to do with the presence of physical and mental fatigue. The syndrome is a disease that causes persistent fatigue and cognitive difficulties without an apparent basis, but that interferes with the daily lives of people who suffer from it.
Within the framework of World Fibromyalgia Day international organizations decided to dedicate a day to raise awareness about the existence of this disease and March 12 was chosen because it was the birthday of tribute to Florence Nightingale, British writer and nurse , precursor of nursing. . modern professional, who lived with fibromyalgia.
