Lupus: Open Access
Open Access

Fibromyalgia: The Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain

Okoro Godswill^{* *}Correspondence: Okoro Godswill, Department of Allergy and Rheumatology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada, Email:

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Description

A syndrome with several sites or chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain is known as fibromyalgia. The syndrome frequently includes exhaustion, a sense of waking up unrefreshed, cognitive problems, and several regions of increasing discomfort. Patients with SLE frequently have Fibromyalgia (FM), which is the cause of many of their symptoms and a sizable portion of their impairment. The link between FM and SLE could create difficulties with diagnosis. Although fibromyalgia and SLE disease activity are unrelated, the clinical characteristics of FM in these patients may lead to a misunderstanding of lupus activity. Every doctor who serves patients with lupus should be aware of the link between SLE and FM. When someone has Fibromyalgia (FM) or lupus, these symptoms are just a normal part of life. When a person has fibromyalgia and lupus, in addition to the various symptoms of both diseases, they also experience a double dose of those symptoms. Fibromyalgia is a condition that can develop on its own or as a result of other connective tissue diseases like lupus. About 25% of lupus patients also have fibromyalgia, according to research.

Chronic pain, exhaustion, and discomfort are not risk factors for developing Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) or other autoimmune diseases in the future. However, SLE appears to be a sizable risk factor for Fibromyalgia (FM). For up to 47% of SLE patients, the FM criteria are met. Patients with SLE and concurrent FM frequently have severe symptoms and are dysfunctional. However, the existence of FM symptoms in SLE patients does not indicate lupus activity or more severe organ involvement. The significant overlap between SLE and FM shows that both patient populations share similar pain and distressrelated processes. The N-Methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) and neurokinin receptor systems may be involved, according to recent study. So, in SLE patients, autoimmune activity against these receptor systems may result in discomfort, cognitive impairments, and chronic pain states like FM. On the other hand, treating SLE-FM patients with NMDA or neurokinin receptor blockers may prevent or treat FM as well as cognitive impairments and chronic pain.

Due to the difficulty in distinguishing between the two diseases' principal symptoms, patients with FM and those with lupus may occasionally receive incorrect diagnoses for one another. Many patients have both disorders, which makes diagnosis and treatment more challenging. As a result, it's critical for folks who have FM to be familiar with lupus symptoms.

Causes of lupus fibromyalgia

A syndrome with several sites or chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain is known as fibromyalgia. The syndrome often includes exhaustion, a feeling of waking up unrefreshed, cognitive problems, and several regions of increasing discomfort.

Lupus fibromyalgia symptoms

There are various characteristics and connections between lupus and FMS, including:

• Muscle and joint pain

• Fatigue

• Malaise

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Memory problems

• Flares and remissions

Fibromyalgia and lupus risks

Although those with lupus do have a higher chance of having FM, those with FM do not appear to have a higher risk of developing lupus. We haven't figured out why yet. It's possible that central sensitization, a crucial component of FM, is caused by the discomfort associated with lupus. We probably won't be able to comprehend how these illnesses are related to one another until studies identify the underlying causes of them.