The number of theories surrounding the origin of fibromyalgia are as numerous as the supposed cures. Due to the wide variation of symptoms from person to person and the number of different body systems fibromyalgia affects, medical experts have had a difficult time narrowing down a cause. However, they have been able to make a number of correlations which have led to a number of theories as to where fibromyalgia comes from.
Sleep Disturbances
Medical experts believe that fibromyalgia may be linked with sleep. Since deep sleep is when the body has a chance to heal itself, disturbed sleep affects an individual's ability to perform necessary repairs. Many individuals with fibromyalgia have a comorbid disorder such as sleep apnea or insomnia which may decrease the amount of time they achieve deep sleep.
A high number of fibromyalgia sufferers also have a condition called Alpha-EEG anomaly in which alpha waves– waves that occur during waking hours– interrupt the deepest level of sleep, called delta sleep. Researchers have been able to reproduce fibromyalgia-like symptons in healthy individuals by deliberately producing alpha waves during delta sleep. More research needs to be conducted to understand the impacts of the ALPHA-EEG anomaly and effective treatment plans.
Decreased ATP production
ATP (adenosine triphosphate) is the energy currency of the body. Produced on a cellular level in the mitochondria, ATP is used to power every single bodily function. Studies have shown that individuals with fibromyalgia have 20% less ATP in their muscles compared to healthy individuals. Subsequent studies found that there were also lowered levels of ATP in red blood cells. Since ATP is required by all body systems, a defiency in ATP would prevent the body from running at optimal levels and explain the wide range of symptoms fibromyalgia patients experience.
Increased levels of Substance P
Substance P is a neurotransmitter that carries pain signals to the brain. A study in 2000, found Substance P levels could be as much as three times higher than normal in fibromyalgia patients. Many physicians believe fibromyalgia to be a hypersensitivity to pain. Because the brain receives a larger number of pain messages it may heighten pain responses and interpret benign stimuli as pain. This would explain how lights, sounds and even gentle touch can be interpreted as pain during a fibromyalgia flare. Substance P has also been linked with a number of other health problems such as migraines, asthma, depression and chronic inflammatory problems.
Trauma and Stress
A high number of individuals with Fibromyalgia have a history of high levels of stress, or traumatic experiences. Often an emotional or physical traumatic event will trigger the onset of the illness. This has led a number of doctors to discount their pain as psychosomatic and created an unfortunate stigma in the medical community working against fibromyalgia sufferers.
Researchers believe that fibromyalgia may be a physiological response to stress and trauma, which is not to say that it is psychosomatic or "in their heads." Individuals with fibromyalgia often have altered physical response to stress resulting in abnormalities in the hyopthalmus, adrenal, and pituatary glands as well as in a number of neurotransmitters and hormones.
Depression
A number of fibromyalgia sufferers also deal with depression. However, while treating depression symptoms with psychotherapy and SSRIs can often reduce symptoms, the treatment is not comprehensive enough to act as a cure. There is also the question of whether depression causes fibromyalgia or whether dealing with the severe impacts of fibromyalgia causes depression. Regardless, treating depression in fibromyalgia sufferers has been shown to be a helpful tool in reducing symptoms.
Fibromyalgia is a complex illness. With no concrete answer as to its cause, doctors continue to have a hard time properly treating patients. Further research is being conducted and it may be that fibromyalgia is caused by a mixture of the above or it could be that a separate issue in the body causes all of the above abnormalities to occur. For now fibromyalgia sufferers must be patient and open to trying a number of different methods, including diet, exercise, medications, and natural remedies to treat their illness
The National Fibromyalgia Association
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