Fibromyalgia is a syndrome of persistent widespread pain, stiffness, fatigue, disrupted and unrefreshing sleep, and cognitive difficulties, often accompanied by multiple other unexplained symptoms, anxiety and/or depression, and functional impairment of activities of daily living.
Fibromyalgia was once often dismissed by physicians and the public as a psychological disorder or "wastebasket" diagnosis because of an absence of objective findings on physical examination and usual laboratory and imaging evaluations. Many physicians still do not accept fibromyalgia as a discrete illness. However, basic and clinical investigations have clarified the neurophysiologic bases for fibromyalgia and led to its current classification as a central sensitivity syndrome.
Indeed, fibromyalgia can now be considered a neurosensory disorder characterized in part by abnormalities in pain processing by the central nervous system. Increased understanding of the biological bases underlying fibromyalgia is rapidly leading to a new era of specific pharmacologic therapy for the condition.
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Cite this: Herbert S. Diamond. Fast Five Quiz: How Much Do You Know About Fibromyalgia? - Medscape - Jul 18, 2016.
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