Essay On Fibromyalgia

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Meagen Maynard Dr. Pontisso 09/10/2011 Fibromyalgia Syndrome Fibromyalgia was once thought to be a mental disorder. It was first described by doctors in the the early 1800s. They wrote about a health condition called “muscular rheumatism”. The symptoms were stiffness, aches, pains, tiredness, and difficulty sleeping. In early 1820s a doctor in Scotland first described the tender points of Fibromyalgia. Eight years later the disease was named “fibrosistitis” as swelling was thought to be the cause of pain in the body. But, in 1976 researchers renamed the disease to Fibromyalgia because it was found that swelling was not, in fact, the cause of the widespread pain experienced by sufferers. Fibromyalgia Syndrome is a vast growing disease effecting over 12 million Americans. Most sufferers are women ages ranging from 25-60 years old. Unfortunately, women are 10 times…show more content…
In turn, causing the patient more stress and anxiety not knowing why they are experiencing such menacing symptoms. This disease is mostly a “diagnosis of exclusion” (WebMD.com) meaning the doctor must rule out other conditions that can cause the very similar symptoms to those of fibromyalgia. To rule out the more serious conditions a doctor will most likely run specific blood tests. Some of the tests may be a complete blood count or CBC, a test to check glucose levels, and a thyroid test to check and make sure the thyroid is working properly. An under active thyroid or hypothyroidism can cause the fatigue, muscle aches, weakness, and depression all of which are common symptoms often experienced in suffers of fibromyalgia. Other tests include, “Lyme titers, antinuclear antibodies (ANA), rheumatoid factor (RF), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), prolactin level, and calcium level”

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