Some may disagree, but pain is necessary for a person: it works as an early warning system that there are problems in the body, according to the online publication for girls and women between 14 and 35 Pannochka. net If your child has a chronic condition known as fibromyalgia, then his “alert system” is sensitive to triggers that are harmless to the body — for example, when a child just sits for a couple of hours in a chair.

Naturally, parents get upset when they hear from the child constant complaints of pain throughout the body..

Especially when you consider the fact that fibromyalgia can last for years, and sometimes the whole life. There are no radical ways of “healing” that will solve the problem at once.

However, fibromyalgia does not cause the patient's body irreversible physical damage, as over time occurs with osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis. With proper patient education, lifestyle correction, and taking certain medications, fibromyalgia can be kept under control and lead an almost full, normal life..

Some facts:.

• Fibromyalgia is a chronic disease that causes pain in different parts of the body, as well as stiffness of movement.. Many patients also note sleep disturbance, weakness and fatigue..

• Fibromyalgia, which previously was not considered a disease at all, actually affects from 2 to 4 percent of the US population, that is, up to 12 million people in only one country.

• Fibromyalgia predominantly affects women between the ages of 20-60 years, but doctors increasingly determine this disease in young patients, usually from 11 to 15 years.

• Treatment of fibromyalgia is aimed at controlling the symptoms, for which physiotherapy, relaxation techniques, acupuncture, massage and, in some cases, medications are recommended..

Fibromyalgia Overview.

For decades, people with complaints of chronic pain without clear localization have been treated for muscle inflammation (myositis) and other well-known medicine diseases.. It was only in the 1970s that doctors in America began to realize that there was some independent disease that they called fibromyalgia (fibromyalgia)..

The name of the new disease, in contrast to the same arthritis, does not contain the ending "-it", which is added to the names of the diseases, which are based on inflammation. And it's not just like that. Scientists believe that fibromyalgia is associated with problems in the patient’s nervous system: the nervous system conducts, receives and interprets pain signals from all parts of our body. In the case of fibromyalgia, there is an increase in minor signals from receptors of the whole body, which are perceived as pain..

Fibromyalgia remains an insufficiently studied disease with many open questions, including the causes of the disease, the criteria for diagnosis and treatment.

Pediatricians of the Boston Children's Hospital (USA) say that children may look great and have normal results of all laboratory tests, but show signs of fibromyalgia. It is not surprising that even in the American medical community there are still doctors who are skeptical of such a diagnosis!.

Risk factors.

As we have said, the disease is not yet fully understood..

But scientists have already discovered several risk factors associated with fibromyalgia:.

• Gender: approximately 9 out of 10 fibromyalgia patients are women.

• Age: fibromyalgia often develops between the ages of 20 and 60. If symptoms appear in childhood, then most often it occurs between 11 and 15 years. In children younger than 4 years, the disease is very rare.

• Family history: if a child’s relatives suffered from fibromyalgia or similar diseases with chronic pain (myofascial pain syndrome), the risk increases. One study found that 1/3 of children with fibromyalgia have the same problem..

• Other diseases: Researchers found a link between fibromyalgia and some autoimmune diseases.. According to some reports, up to 25% of patients with lupus and some forms of arthritis suffer from fibromyalgia..

Physical and psychological stress, improper sleep, lack of physical activity are also among the possible risk factors for fibromyalgia..

Causes of illness.

Nobody still knows the causes of fibromyalgia..

It is very likely that the presence of some genes makes people more susceptible to this disease (genetic predisposition). Most scientists are inclined to believe that this is a polyetiological disease - this implies that it develops under the influence of several trigger factors (triggers).

Possible fibromyalgia triggers:.

• Emotional stress, experience.

• Physical injury or overload.

• Infections, serious diseases.

Symptoms of Fibromyalgia.

American doctors say that fibromyalgia in one child never proceeds in the same way as in another. Symptoms may vary in duration and intensity, pain occurs in different parts of the body.. The only thing that unites all sick children is the presence of chronic pain..

• Pain can begin in one specific location, such as a neck or shoulder, and can affect the whole body or half of it (above the waist, below the waist, and. ) • Pain can be constant and dull, can be combined with tingling and numbness.

• Pain is exacerbated when you click on certain painful points ("tender points").

In addition to chronic pain, patients with fibromyalgia may experience:.

• Weakness and fatigue: the child gets tired quickly even after a light game or exercise.

• Sleep disorders: it is difficult for a child to fall asleep, and in the morning he wakes up poorly rested and broken.

Other symptoms of fibromyalgia include:.

• Headache.

• Stomach ache.

• Depression.

• Anxiety.

• stiffness in the morning.

• Numbness of the arms or legs.

• Painful monthly.

• Sensitivity to cold and heat.

• Problems with concentration and memory (“fibrotuman”).

Fibromyalgia symptoms are easily confused with signs of other diseases, including systemic lupus erythematosus, arthritis, Lyme disease. Therefore, parents often have to beat the thresholds of clinics for a long time before the child is diagnosed with fibromyalgia..

Diagnosis of Fibromyalgia.

In 1990, the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) officially established two criteria for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia in adult patients:.

Chronic pains in different parts of the body that last three months or longer.

Increased pain in at least 11 of 18 points located in the neck, shoulders, hips, knees, elbows.

However, American pediatricians and rheumatologists warn that in most children with fibromyalgia (and some adults), the pain increases in less than 11 of these points.. Therefore, the American College of Rheumatology even engaged in the revision of these painful points and advises doctors to more carefully evaluate the remaining symptoms..

In addition to physical examination and medical history, doctors can conduct tests that will help rule out other diseases:.

• Complete blood count.

• Some antibody tests..

• Electroencephalography during sleep.

• Tests to assess liver and thyroid function.

Prevention of fibromyalgia in children.

Parents, of course, will be interested in what they can do to prevent fibromyalgia in their child.. It is difficult to answer this question, because the causes of the disease are not fully understood.. But what is really worth doing is to build the child’s daily routine, follow his diet and sleep, as well as instill healthy habits in him (daily exercise, walking in the fresh air).

Complications of fibromyalgia.

Since fibromyalgia does not cause physical damage to the body, the risk of physical complications is considered extremely low.. It is worth worrying more about psychological problems - a constant life with pain can influence a child’s thoughts, his emotions and interaction with others.

Life with pain is hard for children, especially if his peers seem to be completely healthy and not limited. Depression and anxiety are common complications of fibromyalgia, which a qualified psychotherapist must fight.

Treatment of fibromyalgia in children.

Your doctor must create an individualized treatment plan that will meet the needs of your child..

This plan may include:.

• Learning: The first and most important step for a child with fibromyalgia is learning how to best control the disease in everyday life, what can be done and what cannot be done..

• Exercises: light exercise, such as swimming or yoga, is reliably effective for fibromyalgia.. They help reduce pain, improve mood and strengthen the health of the child.. Exercises can be part of physical therapy..

• relaxation techniques: a child can learn to overcome stress using meditation techniques or biofeedback. Relaxation reduces sleep problems, depression and anxiety.

• Alternative medicine: acupuncture, acupressure, massage may be useful in the complex treatment of fibromyalgia, but these methods still have a modest evidence base.

• Cognitive behavioral therapy: this psychotherapy method teaches a child to deal with pain on a psychological level, and also helps identify pain-enhancing triggers..

• Drug therapy:

analgesics (paracetamol, ibuprofen), antidepressants (duloxetine, fluoxetine), muscle relaxants (cyclobenzaprine) and other (pregabalin, gabapentin) drugs.

Long term forecast.

Although fibromyalgia can be a lifelong condition, it does not tend to worsen over time.. Moreover, fibromyalgia may be easier over the years, especially with early diagnosis and aggressive treatment.. Children respond better to treatment than adults: with proper therapy, up to 80% of children experience significant improvement or completely eliminate their symptoms..

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