Current Arthritis News and Research » Fibromyalgia http://4-arthritis-info.com Regular Updates on the Many Forms of Arthritis Tue, 08 Nov 2011 17:30:28 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 IBS Common in Fibromyalgia Patients http://4-arthritis-info.com/ibs-common-fibromyalgia-patients/ http://4-arthritis-info.com/ibs-common-fibromyalgia-patients/#comments Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:47:23 +0000 awesome http://4-arthritis-info.com/wp/?p=284 There can be several other conditions that are co-existent with fibromyalgia. One of those conditions that has recently been identified is irritable bowel syndrome, or IBS.

IBS is a gastrointestinal disorder that has no apparent cause. Symptoms include intestinal discomfort and pain along with “alterations” in bowel habits. This means constipation, diarrhea or switching between the two. IBS is reported to affect as many as 20% of the general population and is 2 to 3 times more prevalent in women than men.

Diagnosis of IBS generally is made after eliminating all other possible causes of the digestive issues.

Current studies indicate that as many as 77% of patients with fibromyalgia also have IBS. In fact, there are four conditions that have a higher than expected rate of co-occurrence with IBS that have little relationship to the digestive system:

  • Fibromyalgia
  • Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  • Temporomandibular Joint Disorder (TMJ or TMD)
  • Chronic Pelvic Pain

Other studies have shown that patients with both fibromyalgia and IBS experience symptoms that are 38% more severe than patients with only one of the conditions. Studies have also shown that people with both conditions tend to have a worse quality of life than those with only one.

Common Characteristics

Fibromyalgia and IBS are both complex, chronic conditions that actually have a number of common characteristics. Several studies have attempted to determine a causal link between the two conditions, but to date have not been successful. But these characteristics have been noted:

  • Both Fibromyalgia and IBS exhibit abnormalities in the function of the autonomic nervous system. However, the pattern of the dysfunction is different in the two conditions and actually tends in opposite directions
  • Pain sensitivity is also a common and shared characteristic of both conditions but likewise does not have a comparable pattern. IBS patients have pain inside the intestine whereas fibromyalgia patients have musculoskeletal pain but not intestinal.
  • Stress is also a common characteristic including hormonal response to stress, such as corticotrophin-releasing hormone (CRH) and adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH). But again, the pattern between the two conditions is different. IBS appears to have exaggerated stress hormone activity while fibromyalgia has suppressed stress hormone activity.

These facts lead some researchers to theorize that fibromyalgia and IBS are different “surface reflections” of the same broader “somatic syndrome”.

Originally posted 2008-12-04 12:00:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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]]> http://4-arthritis-info.com/ibs-common-fibromyalgia-patients/feed/ 3 New Research Planned into Arthritis Placebo Treatment http://4-arthritis-info.com/research-arthritis-placebo-treatment/ http://4-arthritis-info.com/research-arthritis-placebo-treatment/#comments Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:47:12 +0000 awesome http://4-arthritis-info.com/wp/?p=119 The University of Manchester is currently recruiting 90 people for an upcoming study into how placebos work. This group includes 30 with chronic, widespread pain, 30 with osteoarthritis and 30 healthy people as controls. The recruits will be from the musculoskeletal pain clinic at Hope Hospital in Salford and other pain clinics.

Most trials [...] No related posts.]]> The University of Manchester is currently recruiting 90 people for an upcoming study into how placebos work. This group includes 30 with chronic, widespread pain, 30 with osteoarthritis and 30 healthy people as controls. The recruits will be from the musculoskeletal pain clinic at Hope Hospital in Salford and other pain clinics.

Most trials include some form of placebo in order to determine the true results of the tested treatment. Patients receiving a placebo frequently experience improvement in their symptoms due to the “power of suggestion” as opposed to any effect from an actual drug. It is this effect that researchers hope to bring light upon as potential treatments for chronic conditions, such as arthritis.

Neuro Rheumatology Professor Anthony Jones, of the Human Pain Research Group at Hope Hospital, is the research lead for a team that has been looking into the placebo effect for several years. His team has studied the body’s response to pain and how to measure anticipation of pain using EEG.

So far they have found that pain relief as a result of the placebo effect appears to be related to structures in the front of the brain that manage the anticipation of pain.

The planned study will look into the placebo effect on fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis patients to determine if they release natural pain killers, known as “endogenous pain control mechanisms”.

The research team believes that people with chronic widespread pain have abnormalities the way that they anticipate and focus on pain. It is suggested that this results in them feeling greater pain than other people.

“Placebo can affect patients’ response to pain therapy and also influence the results of clinical trials,” said Professor Jones.

“We have shown that responses to experimental placebo alter how the brain responds to pain and, also, that responses to experimental placebo persist in repeated testing in healthy volunteers. This allows us to measure how the brain’s pain control system is being activated under different conditions.

“We hope this study will help us understand how the brain deals with pain, and is also likely to lead to the development of new pain-killing therapies and better ways of testing then.”

Originally posted 2008-08-08 21:47:57. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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]]> http://4-arthritis-info.com/research-arthritis-placebo-treatment/feed/ 0 Fibromyalgia May Be All In Your Head http://4-arthritis-info.com/fibromyalgia-in-your-head/ http://4-arthritis-info.com/fibromyalgia-in-your-head/#comments Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:46:53 +0000 awesome http://4-arthritis-info.com/wp/?p=270
Many in the medical community still believe that fibromyalgia is a psychological condition since there have been no distinct causes found for the condition. In fact it has been called the “invisible syndrome” because it cannot be diagnosed using X-ray or lab tests. But a new brain scan study has found a common factor in fibromyalgia patients.

Researchers from the Centre Hospitalo-Universitaire de la Timone, in Marseille, France, took brain scans of 20 female fibromyalgia patients and 10 without the condition. They also had the participants provide information to measure anxiety, disability pain and depression.

The brain scan technique used in this research is called single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). This type of scan uses gamma rays to create a true 3-dimensional image and can help detect functional abnormalities deep in the brain.

The researchers correlated the data and discovered that patients with fibromyalgia have abnormalities in the blood flow in the brain, which is called perfusion. More, the abnormalities are directly related to the severity of the condition. An increase in perfusion (hyperperfusion) was noted in the area of the brain that measures pain intensity and a decrease in perfusion was noted in the area thought to be involved in the emotional response to pain.

“Fibromyalgia may be related to a global dysfunction of cerebral pain-processing. This study demonstrates that these patients exhibit modifications of brain perfusion not found in healthy subjects and reinforces the idea that fibromyalgia is a ‘real disease/disorder.’” – Eric Guedj, M.D, lead author

The researchers also found that the functional abnormalities had no relationship to depression of anxiety.

The study was reported in the November issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Originally posted 2008-11-11 12:48:27. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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]]> http://4-arthritis-info.com/fibromyalgia-in-your-head/feed/ 1 Fibromyalgia Patients Get Relief from Aquatic Exercise http://4-arthritis-info.com/fibromyalgia-patients-get-relief-from-aquatic-exercise/ http://4-arthritis-info.com/fibromyalgia-patients-get-relief-from-aquatic-exercise/#comments Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:46:52 +0000 awesome http://4-arthritis-info.com/wp/2008/02/29/fibromyalgia-patients-get-relief-from-aquatic-exercise/ Researchers from Spain and Portugal have found that fibromyalgia patients experience significant pain relief when they get regular exercise in a heated pool. Current treatments include pain relief medications, exercise, relaxation therapy and low-dose antidepressants.

The study participants included 33 women with fibromyalgia. 17 of them had supervised 1-hour exercise sessions 3 times a [...] No related posts.]]> Researchers from Spain and Portugal have found that fibromyalgia patients experience significant pain relief when they get regular exercise in a heated pool. Current treatments include pain relief medications, exercise, relaxation therapy and low-dose antidepressants.

The study participants included 33 women with fibromyalgia. 17 of them had supervised 1-hour exercise sessions 3 times a week in a heated pool for 8 months, 16 did no aquatic exercise.

The researchers found that the fibromyalgia symptoms were reduced and the women’s health-related quality of life was improved by long-term aquatic exercise. The researchers said: “The addition of an aquatic exercise program to the usual care for fibromyalgia in women is cost-effective in terms of both health care costs and societal costs.”

In an earlier study, the same researchers found that a short-term exercise program helped ease symptoms, but pain returned when patients completed the exercise regimen.

The researchers also noted that starting an aquatic exercise program may be difficult as a result of the distance from the patient’s home to a suitable pool and limits on the number of patients that can participate in a session.

The report also states that further research needs to be conducted in order to compare the benefits of aquatic exercise with low-impact aerobics, walking and tai-chi.

Narcis Gusi, of the University of Extremadura in Caceres, Spain and Pablo Tomas-Carus of the University of Evora, Portugal, were the studies co-leads. It was published in the February 21st issue of Arthritis Research and Therapy.

Originally posted 2008-02-29 22:44:07. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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]]> http://4-arthritis-info.com/fibromyalgia-patients-get-relief-from-aquatic-exercise/feed/ 1 Big Award for Fibromyalgia http://4-arthritis-info.com/big-award-fibromyalgia/ http://4-arthritis-info.com/big-award-fibromyalgia/#comments Mon, 17 Jan 2011 22:46:47 +0000 awesome http://4-arthritis-info.com/?p=655 A woman has been awarded nearly $4 million by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for chronic pain and fibromyalgia syndrome.

“This latest judgment will set a precedent as it demonstrates powerfully and convincingly the importance and severity of fibromyalgia and chronic pain syndrome as disabilities,” said a release from law firm Singer Kwinter, [...] No related posts.]]> A woman has been awarded nearly $4 million by the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for chronic pain and fibromyalgia syndrome.

“This latest judgment will set a precedent as it demonstrates powerfully and convincingly the importance and severity of fibromyalgia and chronic pain syndrome as disabilities,” said a release from law firm Singer Kwinter, which represented Diane Degennaro.

“This will demonstrate to the insurers, the public, and the legal system the severity of this disability and its implication on future judgments.”

According to the law firm, Degennaro was 30 years old when her son was admitted to a hospital. The woman was told she could sleep on a bed in the boy’s room, but when she sat on the end of it, it collapsed.

She fractured her tailbone and later developed fibromyalgia, which has caused chronic pain throughout her body.

She has been unable to return to work and doctors say she won’t be able to work in the future.

Source: Law Times, July 20, 2009

Originally posted 2009-12-10 07:00:55. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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