Fibromyalgia Disease

The Fibromyalgia disease, formerly known as Fibrositis is a condition that affects joints, muscles and tendons and it is most common with women. People with this disease often suffer from stiffness of the aforementioned body parts and this becomes painful as the disease progresses. The major symptoms of this disease include fatigue, insomnia, depression, bowel disturbances and anxiety. What causes the fibromyalgia disease is unknown though this happens to be the most common disease that affects the muscles. The pain experienced out of this condition is terrible though researches have shown that this condition is not very serious. When people experience this condition, it is most likely that their substance P level is elevated.

Substance P is a chemical present in the body muscles and fluctuation in its levels may result into the symptoms of the fibromyalgia disease. In all the people affected by this disease, 80% are women especially those below the ages of 55. However, this condition may also affect children and men. The United States is leading with fibromyalgia infections having 2% of its population affected. The common symptom with this disease is paralyzing pain in the body muscles as well as other body parts and the instance this is detected, it is important for one to seek medical attention. The pain is not only in the muscles and will be felt in the neck, arms, buttocks, shoulders and the chest. This pain is so excruciating that the patient will react to the slightest contact with the affected parts. These happen to be pressure point such as the hips, elbows, knees, breastbone sides as well as the shoulders.

Other symptoms that characterize this disease include mental disturbances, mood swings, memory loss, poor concentration, anxiety, irritability and depression. Other symptoms of this disease include migraines, abdominal pain, numbness, frequent urination and an irritable bowel. It is sad that this disease cannot be diagnosed through medical tests and people will therefore be diagnosed as undergoing depression. This complicates the fibromyalgia disease even more. Many a time, this disease is mistaken with other conditions that cause similar pains in the body. These include depleted thyroid hormone levels, the parathyroid disease, polymyositis, Pagets disease, hypocalcaemia, AIDS, Hepatitis, Cancer, and the Epstein Barr virus among other similar conditions.

The treatments for this condition are varied one of them being educating the masses about it. It is a little known disease due to its similarity with several other conditions as highlighted and this makes many people live with it unknowingly. Knowing how to tell it from the list is a great step towards getting treatment for it. The other treatment is regular exercise such as walking, swimming and cycling. People who exercise regularly lead healthier lives and in this case, they are able to have a regular sleeping pattern. Embarking on a diet change is a plus towards fighting the fibromyalgia disease and people are advised to stay away from caffeinated and alcoholic beverages. Some of the medications that will be prescribed include antidepressants such as doxepin and amitriptyline.