U.S. Health Watch

Fibromyalgia symptoms can become very serious if they are not appropriately dealt with. Many people confronted with the disorder experience an intensification of fibromyalgia symptoms over time. In most patients, the fibromyalgia symptoms also tend to spread throughout the entire body.

Fibromyalgia is a neurological condition that affects the musculoskeletal soft tissues such as muscles, tendons and ligaments. The majority of people with fibromyalgia feel an intense muscular pain and discomfort, also accompanied by a pronounced level of fatigue throughout the whole body. At first, the muscular pain and fatigue usually occur in the upper parts of the body (neck, cervical region, upper back and shoulders), later spreading into other body regions (mid-back, arms, spine, lower back and thighs).

Other fibromyalgia symptoms are unrefreshing sleep or insomnia, physical weakness, poor ability of sustaining physical or mental effort, increased nervous excitability, migraines, short-term memory loss, poor concentration, anxiety, depression and confusion. Patients that are constantly confronted with fibromyalgia symptoms become depressed and have low self-esteem.

In many cases, most fibromyalgia symptoms are misleading in establishing an appropriate diagnose. They are difficult to relate with fibromyalgia, as they also occur to many other disorders and illnesses. Furthermore, the majority of patients confronted with fibromyalgia symptoms appear to be in perfect health and present no physical dysfunctions when they are examined by a specialist. Routine physical examinations and laboratory analysis are usually unable to reveal the presence of fibromyalgia. However, careful neurological examinations performed on people with fibromyalgia symptoms can trace abnormal brain activity, which is considered to be the main cause in generating the disorder.

The process of diagnosing fibromyalgia is performed mostly on patients? reports of fibromyalgia symptoms and careful neurological examinations. However, there are also other ways of diagnosing the disorder. In all patients, the fibromyalgia symptoms of pain and discomfort seem to be located in specific points on the body, called trigger points or tender points. Although people with fibromyalgia experience different levels of pain in these trigger points, their presence is common to all patients. The presence of nine pairs of trigger points has been revealed in all people who suffer from fibromyalgia. These trigger points are located at the base of the skull, in the region of the neck, shoulders, chest, upper back, mid-back and lower back, buttocks, upper thighs, elbows and knees. The areas that surround the trigger points are also very sensitive and are referred to as tender points.

Fibromyalgia is considered to be a serious condition and it is very important to be revealed in time, in order to establish an appropriate treatment that can ameliorate fibromyalgia symptoms and undesirable effects. The muscular pain seems to be the major fibromyalgia symptom and it has been described in many ways: aching, burning, radiating or stabbing. However, apart from recidivating muscular pain, there are other fibromyalgia symptoms that can become very serious: depression, cognitive dysfunctions, confusion, lack of concentration, accelerated pulse, unstable blood pressure, fever, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, abdominal swelling, diarrhea. If the disorder is not dealt with in time, it can lead to an aggravation of its symptoms, seriously endangering the lives of the affected persons.