Fibromyalgia Syndrome Research articles from September

Some of the most interesting research relevant to Fibromyalgia Syndrome (Fibro) that has been published over the last month and discussed in the FibroAction Research section is summarised here.

Hippocampal Dysfunction in Fibromyalgia Syndrome

Three articles published recently suggest that symptoms of Fibro may be explained by the dysfunction of an area of the brain called the Hippocampus. All of the studies showed abnormalities in the chemicals in this part of the brain, and these abnormalities were found to correlate with patient symptoms. The hippocampus is a brain center that is sensitive to the effects of stress exposure, when talking about stress as physical stressors, and it plays major roles in short term memory and spatial navigation. Although the causes of Fibro are poorly understood, a growing body of evidence suggests involvement of the central nervous system and this research provides yet more evidence for this.

Specialist Nurses can diagnose Fibromyalgia Syndrome

An article has suggested that the use of specialised nurses in the diagnostic process of Fibro is a trustworthy, successful and cost-effective approach that saves waiting time and provides greater patient satisfaction. Specialist nurses are used for a number of conditions, including neurological conditions such as Multiple Sclerosis. In general, they are found to decrease costs and increase patient satisfaction, partly because patients can been seen quicker, get to spend more time with the nurse and feel that they are listened to more.

Fibromyalgia Syndrome has greater impact on patients

The FibroAction article discusses 3 research articles that were first published in late 2007 concluding that Fibromyalgia Syndrome (Fibro) has more of an impact on patients' lives and has more consequences for patients than many other chronic conditions and forms of widespread pain. The first study found that, compared with chronic widespread pain without widespread allodynia, Fibro was associated with more severe symptoms/consequences for daily life and higher pain severity. The second study concluded that people with Fibro had an overall health status burden greater than that of people with other specific pain conditions that are widely accepted as impairing, including rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis. The third study found that, at the individual level, Fibro or Chronic Fatigue Syndrome were associated with an increased risk of both activity limitations and a self-rated health status of fair or poor (as opposed to good) compared to other chronic conditions.