Fibromyalgia May Have Broad Range of Vague Symptoms

by KYW's medical editor Dr. Brian McDonough

Fibromyalgia is known as a functional condition. It is one of those physical conditions that is very difficult to detect or prove by a laboratory test or by one procedure. It is diagnosed based on the history or story that the patient tells about what is happening.

Essentially fibromyalgia is a set of symptoms that happen together. People with fibromyalgia feel muscle tightness and there are certain tender points that your doctor can examine to see the problem. Fibromyalgia also affects your sleep and it is often linked with depression. The key thing to know about fibromyalgia is that the symptoms are quite vague and your physician needs to work with you to see if this truly is the issue.

There are treatments including antidepressants that can be quite helpful. There is a bigger lesson from fibromyalgia. If you have something that is bothering you don't be afraid to see your doctor and get help. There could be surprising answers.

Fibromyalgia May Have Broad Range of Vague Symptoms

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