Megan SinikCBL Case 2- Learning Issue 12/13/2021Theorized Pathophysiology and Treatment of FibromyalgiaMain Point-Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder with an uncertain underlyingpathophysiology, which makes it difficult to diagnose and treat.Key TermsFibromyalgia (FM): Chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, for which no alternativecause can be identified.-Often overlap with other chronic pain conditions such as irritable bowelsyndrome, interstitial cystitis, and temporomandibular joint syndrome,depending on the region of the body-A subset of people have fibromyalgia as a co-morbidity of another conditionthat causes ongoing nociceptive input, such as autoimmune disorders, sicklecell disease, or osteoarthritis.-Most common in women between ages 20 and 55, with it being six timesmore common in women than in men.Diffuse Noxious Inhibitory Control (DNIC): In healthy humans, when an intense, painfulstimulus is applied it produces a whole-body analgesic response.Current ResearchCentralized Theories-Given that individuals with fibromyalgia present with diffuse hyperalgesiaand/or allodynia, it is thought that the condition is due to the central nervoussystem amplifying the sensation of pain, which has been corroborated withneuroimaging.ofMRI activity in the posterior insula and secondary somatosensorycortices have accentuated differences in neuronal activation betweencontrols and those with fibromyalgiaoOverall, fibromyalgia patients appear to have enhanced neuronal
