About Fibro

Fibro is Fibromyalgia Syndrome, also known as FMS or FM. Fibromyalgia is pronounced Fy - bro - my - al - gee - ah.

Fibro is a chronic illness characterised by chronic widespread pain, chronic fatigue, hypersensitivity to pain and sleep disturbances. Fibro patients experience a wide range of symptoms that can wax and wane over time.

Fibro is sometimes called a chronic pain condition, a central sensitisation syndrome or even a neurological condition.

Fibro is often a devastating condition for patients and the people around them and it has been shown to have more of an impact than many other chronic pain conditions and chronic illnesses.

Who Is Affected?

Fibro can affect anyone. Although it is commonly thought that 80-90% of Fibro sufferers are women, this figure may be an overestimate and men do get it too. And although a large proportion of Fibro sufferers are aged 35-60, anyone from children to the elderly can develop the condition.

Fibro is a surprisingly common condition: it is estimated that between 2% and 4.5% of the UK population has Fibro, although this figure has never been measured and it may be higher. That translates to between 1.2 and 2.7 million people in the UK alone.

Because of its debilitating nature, Fibro has a large impact on everyone connected with a sufferer, from family and friends to employers.

Next: What Are The Symptoms?