Bone pain, constant fatigue, trouble sleeping … To this adds difficulty to find a diagnosis and sometimes misunderstanding of the environment. But although there is no cure, you do not throw in the towel because it can be alleviated.
“I do not know what happens to me, everything hurts” . This is the main complaint of people who suffer from fibromyalgia and is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain and painful sensation when pressed into specific body points. According to the Spanish Society of Rheumatology, there are a million Spaniards who could be exposed. And 95% of those affected are women.
But physical pain is not the only symptom. The feeling of fatigue, unable to perform daily activities, is one of the usual signals. And you can add others, such as difficulty sleeping, cramps, headaches or memory problems. Fibromyalgia remains a lot of quality of life and becomes a torture everyday life of many people, who can not lead a normal life and must give up trabajar.EN SEEKING THE CAUSE
In some cases, symptoms appear after a disease caused by a virus or a bacterium, a car accident or a traumatic event as a separation. But in reality, according to experts, these causes fibromyalgia but do not trigger the stress associated with them, which makes them feel painful stimuli that are not for most people. In fact, psychological factors are closely related.
Advances in diagnosis
The difficulty in finding the cause of fibromyalgia causes many people on pilgrimage from one doctor (the average for a diagnosis is 6-7 years). A misunderstanding that family and friends who do not understand who complain of pain if there is no valid reason adds. Why are key recent medical progress in this regard.
Blood analysis revealing. Ohio University (EE. UU.) Has developed a new test that could enable fibromyalgia and distinguish between two types of arthritis have similar symptoms. It must still improve and develop an apparatus which allows to quickly and cheaply this análisis.ASÍ CAN BE TREATED
For now, there is no therapy or medication to cure this syndrome is chronic. ” We try you most predominant symptoms , ” says Dr. Cayetano Alegre.
Drugs that help. “If neuropathic pain predominates, ie of nervous origin, pregabalin prescription ‘. For normal pain, analgesic or anti – inflammatory opted. Problems! sleep are common and are usually treated with sleeping pills and antidepressants. In fact, if it improves sleep improves other symptoms of fibromyalgia. ”
Psychological therapy. Doctors also recommend to help cope with the pain and the impact of the disorder in daily life. Physical exercise. Researchers at the University of Granada and Jaen have developed a program that reduces up to 20% pain.
In the future … According to recent studies, vitamin D and coenzyme Q1O could improve symptoms.
” It is very important to maintain an active life as possible”
Why it affects more women than men?
We do not know. It occurs mostly in women between 40 and 60 years. But we must remember that it can also affect the elderly and children. What advice can you give people who suffer?
It is essential to have a life as active as possible. Do exercise, but start slowly; attempting to work, not to disconnect from the social environment; who have an intellectual and active sex life … All this also helps improve self – esteem, which may be heavily damaged in people with fibromyalgia.
