what does the doctor do to test for fibromyalgia?

Question

is there a cure for this condition?

Answer 1

When making a diagnosis of fibromyalgia, a practitioner would take into consideration the patient's case history and the exclusion of other conditions such as endocrine disorders, arthritis, and polymyalgia rheumatica. There are also two criteria established by the American College of Rheumatology for diagnosis:

* A history of widespread pain lasting more than three months — widespread as in all four quadrants of the body, i.e., both sides, and above and below the waist.

* Tender points — there are 18 designated possible tender points (although a person with the syndrome may feel pain in other areas as well). During diagnosis, four kilograms-force (40 Newtons) of force[3] is exerted at each of the 18 points; the patient must feel pain at 11 or more of these points for fibromyalgia to be considered. Four kilograms of force is about the amount of pressure required to turn fingernails white or to feel pain sensations on the forehead. This technique was developed by the American College of Rheumatology as a means of confirming the diagnosis for clinical studies. It is also used in the United Kingdom. Pressure on nearby areas rarely elicits any reaction. Fibromyalgia patients also have elevated levels of Substance P in the body, which increases the levels of pain and intensity.

No cure for it.

Answer 2

There's no test to prove you have fibromyalgia. The doctor has to rule out the other options. There are certain tender points where the pain seems to affect you. There are lists of symptoms, from headaches, depression to chronic fatigue. There is no none cure for this. You must live a healthy life style with routine sleep, exercise & proper diet. There are meds to help relieve some of the symptoms.

Answer 3

There is a 10 point pressure test. The doctor first needs to weed out other possible causes for your symptoms. Fibromyalgia can mock other diseases such as lupus and thyroid problems. So most Doctors will test these first. I was diagnosed with fybromyalgia about 4 years ago. I hadn't found help through meds. but for me exercise was and is my best friend my aches are much better. I also lost weight. My sister has had this for 8 years and she swears by zoloft. It seem that what might work for one person dosen't quite work for everyone else.

Answer 4

There is no test for it in the US at this time or no cure.I have heard that they have a test in France and are also working on a cure.In the US there is not a lot of research either.A lot of different meds are used to treat it. None of them really work.It will take years for them to come up with one because of the FDA.Everything good I have learned to treat this terrible disease is other peoples trials and errors.People that have this have tried everything,If they say something worked for them I tried it.They are the experts not the doctors.There are quite a few good web sites with boards that can help.The hard thing to accept is that some Doctors and some people do not believe in it but they also said the same thing 40 years ago about MS until they figured out what it was.Good Luck!

Answer 5

There are specific points that must be palpated bilaterally on the person's body and a specific number of those points must be painful to the touch in order to be diagnosed as fibromyalgia. Also, the symptoms must be present for a long time and must be severe to a degree that interferes with daily lifestyle.
Drugs are beneficial in some cases, however massage therapy and accupuncture have been successful drug-free alternatives as well.

Answer 6

The patented Anti-Polymer Antibody Assay, or APA Assay, detects anti-polymer antibodies in the blood of most patients with fibromyalgia and fibromyalgia-like symptoms. Research has shown that the titers of these antibodies correlate with various clinical measures of fibromyalgia severity, including headache, fatigue, anxiety and depression. This and other research data strongly suggests that fibromyalgia is associated with an abnormal immune-system response in these patients.

Answer 7

It is my understanding that this diagnosis is made strictly on symptoms and the ruling out of all other possible causes by tests. In other words, it's what they say is wrong when they can't find anything with tests.

To date, there is no widely accepted cure. How can you cure something that you can't find?

Answer 8

The doctor will test your arms for strenght and pain and then check your lower back and tops of legs, and no there is no cure for it, it can be treated with muscle relaxants and drugs for epilepsy which work quite well. Good luck and Take care.

Answer 9

There is no cure, but there are ways to deal with the pain. My 2 sisters have it. One takes pain meds. the other does activities such as yoga and swimming to reduce her pain. I am not that clear on how they diagnose it though. This website may help.
http://www.fmnetnews.com
Good luck.

Answer 10

There are specific pressure points that are particularly sensitive; these can be palpated. There is no cure, although drugs can help mitigate the symptoms.