Wed, 20 Aug 2008 22:14:47 BST CiteULike: jyuh Abeles http://www.citeulike.org/user/jyuh/author/Abeles CiteULike.org en-gb Copyright © 2004-2008 citeulike.org http://www.citeulike.org/user/jyuh/article/2947348 <i>The American Journal of Medicine, Vol. 121, No. 7. (July 2008), pp. 555-561.</i><br /><br />Primary fibromyalgia, a poorly-understood chronic pain syndrome, is characterized by widespread musculoskeletal pain, nonrestorative sleep, fatigue, psychological distress, and specific regions of localized tenderness, all in the absence of otherwise apparent organic disease. While the etiology of fibromyalgia is unclear, accumulating data suggest that disordered central pain processing likely plays a role in the pathogenesis of symptoms. Although various pharmacological treatments have been studied and espoused for treating fibromyalgia, no single drug or group of drugs has proved to be particularly useful in treating fibromyalgia patients as a whole, and only one drug to date has earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for treating the syndrome in the United States. This review critically and systematically evaluates clinical investigations of medicinal and nonmedicinal treatments for fibromyalgia dating from 1970 to 2007. Update on Fibromyalgia Therapy Micha Abeles Bruce Solitar Michael Pillinger Aryeh Abeles doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2008.02.036 The American Journal of Medicine, Vol. 121, No. 7. (July 2008), pp. 555-561. 2008-07-01T10:12:37-00:00 2008 The American Journal of Medicine 121 7 555 561 fibromyalgia http://www.citeulike.org/user/jyuh/article/1643219 <i>Ann Intern Med, Vol. 146, No. 10. (15 May 2007), pp. 726-734.</i><br /><br />Primary fibromyalgia is a common yet poorly understood syndrome characterized by diffuse chronic pain accompanied by other somatic symptoms, including poor sleep, fatigue, and stiffness, in the absence of disease. Fibromyalgia does not have a distinct cause or pathology. Nevertheless, in the past decade, the study of chronic pain has yielded new insights into the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia and related chronic pain disorders. Accruing evidence shows that patients with fibromyalgia experience pain differently from the general population because of dysfunctional pain processing in the central nervous system. Aberrant pain processing, which can result in chronic pain and associated symptoms, may be the result of several interplaying mechanisms, including central sensitization, blunting of inhibitory pain pathways, alterations in neurotransmitters, and psychiatric comorbid conditions. This review provides an overview of the mechanisms currently thought to be partly responsible for the chronic diffuse pain typical of fibromyalgia. Narrative review: the pathophysiology of fibromyalgia. AM Abeles MH Pillinger BM Solitar M Abeles Ann Intern Med, Vol. 146, No. 10. (15 May 2007), pp. 726-734. 2007-09-11T02:55:45-00:00 2007 Ann Intern Med 1539-3704 146 10 726 734 no-tag