| While the underlying cause or causes
of FM still remain a mystery, new research findings continue to bring
us closer to understanding the basic mechanisms of Fibromyalgia. Most
researchers agree that FM is a disorder of central processing with neuroendocrine/neurotransmitter
dysregulation. The FM patient experiences pain amplification due to abnormal
sensory processing in the central nervous system. An increasing number
of scientific studies now show multiple physiological abnormalities in
the FM patient, including: increased levels of substance P in the spinal
cord, low levels of blood flow to the thalamus region of the brain, HPA
axis hypofunction, low levels of serotonin and tryptophan and abnormalities
in cytokine function.
Recent studies show that genetic factors may
predispose individuals to a genetic susceptibility to FM. For some, the
onset of FM is slow; however, in a large percentage of patients the onset
is triggered by an illness or injury that causes trauma to the body. These
events may act to incite an undetected physiological problem already present.
Exciting new research has also begun in the areas
of brain imaging and neurosurgery. Continued work will look at the hypothesis
that FM is caused by an interpretative defect in the central nervous system
that brings about abnormal pain perception. Medical researchers have just
begun to untangle the truths about this life-altering disease.
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