Six out of ten patients suffering from fibromyalgia reported difficulties going to work and climbing stairs, while one in two had complications walking a few blocks and attending social gatherings, and 26.9% had problems driving their vehicle, according to a survey carried out by the Asociación Civil Fibroamérica, on the eve of the international day of this disease.
5 percent of the world population suffers from fibromyalgia, an ailment whose main symptoms are pain, lack of energy, visual auditory tactile hypersensitivity, unrefreshing sleep, memory loss, confusion, difficulty concentrating and morning stiffness, explained Télam Blanca Mesistrano, president of Fibroamerica.
The specialist acknowledged that although there is a genetic predisposition related to chromosome 22, there are also triggers of symptoms such as emotional and physical stress.non-restorative or insufficient sleep, which according to the survey were the main factors for the worsening of symptoms in patients.
The survey revealed that 53.3% indicated that they have problems attending social gatherings, 57% going to work and another 47.7% making beds.
The Ministry of Health indicates that fibromyalgia is a frequent cause of chronic musculoskeletal pain in combination with other somatic and psychiatric manifestations
“Stress is the main driver of fibromyalgia. Having a vicious home environment, job dissatisfaction such as repetitive or unrewarding tasks, bullying, night shifts, a rigid-perfectionist personality, smoking, overweight, a sedentary lifestyle and an unhealthy diet are frequent drivers”, explained, for his part, Pablo De Caso , rheumatologist and integrative medicine specialist.
He also recognized a certain genetic makeup that leads to a constant overproduction of adrenaline.
“The persistent hyperadrenergic state causes insomnia, and then the persistently hyperactive system becomes exhausted and fatigue occurs,” added the doctor.
On the other hand, 64.5% of those surveyed stated that controlling triggers reduced symptoms.
“But when we inquired about the dimension of the decrease, in 57.8% of the cases it did not exceed level 5 on a scale of 0 to 10, with which the affectation of the quality of life, although lower, is still present. ” said Mesistrano, who also has fibromyalgia.
On the other hand, in the survey patients stated that they often face serious challenges with their loved ones and health specialists so that they understand the dimension of this condition and trust what they transmit, since there are no physical manifestations.
“No one believes people who have fibromyalgia, mainly because it affects young people whose physical exams and routine studies, such as X-rays or laboratory tests, are usually normal. Hence the name of the invisible disease”, said De Caso.
The Fibroamerica Association highlighted that the testimony of more than one hundred patients coincides in the affectation to the quality of life, the difficulty to do daily tasks
Along the same lines, Jorge Pujol, master’s degree in psychoimmuno neuroendocrinology, recognized that “patients usually present pain in places where there is no reason for pain”.
As an example, he cited “bruxism that affects the jaw and generates headaches; dizziness and cervical pain; irritable bowel syndrome; chronic fatigue syndrome -from sleep disturbances-; irritable bladder syndrome and fibrofog (difficulty in evoking certain words quickly.) All this notably affects the quality of life of those who live with fibromyalgia, “he said.
For this reason, the Fibroamerica Association remarked that the testimony of more than one hundred patients coincides in the affectation to the quality of lifethe difficulty in doing daily tasks, and the importance of detecting the triggers of the symptoms to work on the prevention of this disease.
The Ministry of Health indicates that fibromyalgia is a frequent cause of chronic musculoskeletal pain in combination with other somatic and psychiatric manifestations.
Every May 12th, Fibromyalgia Day is commemorated worldwide.
