BMI Chart

Dr. Phil Mork and his team reviewed data from the Nord-Trondelag Health (HUNT) Study. The first HUNT study (HUNT1) was conducted in 1984 to 1986. HUNT2 was conducted from 1995 to 1997. In the 11 years of data, there were 380 new cases of fibromyalgia identified among the 15,990 women.

The researchers used the body mass index (BMI) to compare the data. BMI is calculated by dividing a person’s weight (in kilograms) by his or her height (in meters, squared). BMI can also be calculated by multiplying weight (in pounds) by 705, then dividing by height (in inches) twice. A BMI or 25 is considered overweight, over 30 is considered obese and over 40 is considered severly obese.

The HUNT studies showed that women with a BMI greater than 25 had a 60% t o70% increased risk of developing fibromyalgia compared to women with a health BMI score.

“Being overweight or obese was associated with an increased risk of fibromyalgia, especially among women who also reported low levels of leisure time physical exercise,” the researchers conclude. “Community-based measures aimed at reducing the incident of fibromyalgia should emphasize the importance of regular physical exercise and maintenance of normal body weight.”

However, the study also showed that exercise tended to offset the risk of developing fibromyalgia as a result of being overweight. The more that the women exercised the lower their risk of developing fibromyalgia. The beneficial effect of exercise was similar with those that were overweight or obese.

The researchers did not entirely understand how excess weight played into the increase in risk. However, there has been some research that suggests that increased levels of certain inflammatory proteins may play a role in both fibromyalgia and obesity.

“The results of this study underline the connection between exercise, obesity, and well-being. And a person who exercises and is conscious about their weight will have better health and that may include a lower risk of developing fibromyalgia,” says Eric Matteson, MD, chair of the department of rheumatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.

The results of the study were published in the May issue of Arthritis Care & Research.

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The Missouri General Assembly will be considering legislation to create a state fibromyalgia awareness and outreach campaign.

The bill, sponsored by Representative Shalonn Curls, of Kansas City, would require the Missouri Dept. of Health and Senior Services to appoint, convene and support a voluntary Fibromyalgia Panel. The pane would have 2 directives:

1. Raise “at least $50,000” through private funding to mount a state fibromyalgia education and outreach campaign, targeting needs such as early diagnosis & treatment and improved quality of life, and in consultation with the National Fibromyalgia Association.
2. Work with other agencies at the state and local levels to promote delivery of Fibromyalgia education and training to doctors and other healthcare professionals.
The bill would also allow doctors, and others authorized to prescribe medication, to override restrictions on medications for treatment of fibromyalgia imposed by pharmacy benefit managers – in carefully defined circumstances and “to the extent that the Panel obtains private funding for the purpose.”

Originally posted 2008-03-03 18:37:39. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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• An estimated 10 million men, women and children in the United States suffer from fibromyalgia (up to 80% are women), which is characterized by chronic widespread pain, multiple tender points, abnormal pain processing, sleep disturbances, and fatigue.
• Fibromyalgia most commonly hits between the ages of 20-40 years old, at the “prime of life.”
• It has been nick-named “the pain disease” because of the characteristic wide-spread, migrating body pain patients have. The pain has been described differently by each patient from dull aches to deep bone pain to burning, tearing, singeing, stabbing or shooting. The breadth of pain descriptions is what makes diagnosis difficult.
• Fibromyalgia is considered as functionally disabling as rheumatoid arthritis but is much less accepted and recognized by both the medical establishment, Social Security and the community at large.
• For those with severe symptoms, fibromyalgia can be extremely debilitating and interfere with basic daily activities.
• People with Fibromyalgia have cognitive difficulties, such as memory problems and attention issues, that has been nicknamed “Fibro fog” or “brain fog.”
• Total healthcare costs over 12 months are about three times higher among fibromyalgia patients compared to patients without the disorder.
• Fibromyalgia costs the U.S. between $12-$14 billion each year

Fibromyalgia Awareness Day provides an opportunity to educate people in local communities about this life-altering disorder—and to bring hope to the millions of people who suffer from it.

For more information visit the National Fibromyalgia Association.

Originally posted 2009-05-05 12:33:46. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Xyrem has been approved by the FDA for treatment of narcolepsy, a neurological disorder which results in excessive daytime sleepiness and intermittent, uncontrollable episodes of falling asleep. These same sleep patterns have been found in fibromyalgia patients.

This study involved 334 fibromyalgia patients who were given one of two doses of Xyrem, or a placebo at bedtime for 14 weeks.

The participants were asked to score their pain on a scale of 0 to 100. The average score before the study was 72. At the end of 14 weeks 54% of the patients taking the lower dose and 56% taking the higher dose reported a 30% or greater reduction in their pain. This is compared to 35% of the placebo group which reported 30% or more reduction in pain.

Furthermore, nearly 44% of both Xyrem groups reported a 50% or greater reduction in pain compared to 23% of those in the placebo group.

According to Kim Dupree Jones, PhD, of Oregon Health & Science University in Portland, “The 30% level represents moderate improvement in pain that is relevant to the patient, and the 50% level represents substantial improvement.”

The study also measured fatigue improvements with use of Xyrem. On a 100 point scale, patients taking the higher dose reported a 30 point drop and those in the low dose group reported a 28 point drop in fatigue scores. Those in the placebo group only reported an 18 point drop.

In addition, nearly 50% of the people in both Xyrem groups reported that they felt “much better” or “very much better” after the 14 week treatment compared to just over 25% of the placebo group.

The most common side effects experienced by the participants taken Xyrem were headache, nausea and dizziness.

The results of the study were presented at the annual meeting of the American Pain Society.

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Dopamine is a chemical produced by the body that acts as a neurotransmitter believed to be involved in behavior and cognition, voluntary movement, motivation and reward, sleep, mood, attention, and learning.

The study was very small, including only 6 female fibromyalgia patients to 8 healthy women of the same age. Brain activity was measured with a positron emission tomography tracer (PET), a nuclear medicine imaging technique which produces a three-dimensional image or picture of functional processes in the body.

The PET scans showed reduced neural activity in several regions of the brain. The Researchers believe the reduced activity of dopamine neurons is caused by environmental factors (including chronic stress) and genetic factors.

Other studies have shown that fibromyalgia is linked with reductions in gray matter in the brain. The cause of this reduced gray matter was not understood.

Now a new study published in The Journal of Pain has found that dopamine may be the culprit in the reduction in gray matter.

Researchers from the Louisiana State University studied magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of 30 women with fibromyalgia and compared these to 20 healthy women that were the same age.

Analysis confirmed earlier studies that found that fibromyalgia patients have reduced gray matter density. They also found that there was a significant relationship between dopamine levels and gray matter in those parts of the brain where dopamine acts as the neurotransmitter.
The report’s authors concluded that the relationship between dopamine levels and gray matter density provide new insights to a potential mechanism that explains some of the abnormal brain structure associated with fibromyalgia.

Originally posted 2009-09-18 07:00:48. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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