A chronic pain condition characterised by widespread musculoskeletal pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance.
✦ AI summary
Here's what these sources say about fibromyalgia:
**Who it affects:** Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain condition that also involves sleep problems and fatigue [7]. It's often described as more common in women, but a systematic review found the true difference between men and women is uncertain—most studies only looked at women, direct comparisons between sexes were rare, and no research has examined the biological reasons for any difference [7].
**How it compares to other pain conditions:** A large review comparing fibromyalgia with knee osteoarthritis, low back pain, and neck pain found that people with fibromyalgia showed larger differences from pain-free people across brain, sensory, psychological, motor, and tissue measures than the other conditions did, with psychological and sensory differences being the most pronounced [11].
**Possible mechanisms:** Fibromyalgia is mentioned as one of the conditions linked to "central sensitization" (a state where the nervous system processes pain signals differently), which was also found at high rates in people with Long COVID and was associated with more autonomic symptoms and inflammation markers [3]. Separately, one source describes research into a "peripheral-central paradox" involving mechanical stiffness and symptom severity in fibromyal
This is an AI-generated summary of the sources below — not medical advice. Always talk to a doctor or pharmacist about your own situation.
The relationship between the non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio and tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis in patients with IgA nephropathy.
Background: The tubular atrophy/interstitial fibrosis (T) lesions of the Oxford Classification is a key prognostic determinant in IgA nephropathy (IgAN). The non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (NHHR) is an emerging lipid marker, but its link with r…
Functional characterization of a biallelic MIPEP variant associated with global developmental delay, infantile epileptic spasms syndrome, and hypotonia.
The mitochondrial intermediate peptidase (MIP) catalyzes the post-import removal of an N-terminal octapeptide from a subset of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins. While the mechanistic role of this processing remains unclear, biallelic MIPEP variants have been linked to respiratory chain dysfunc…
Pharmacological targeting of the TLR8/AP-1 axis ameliorates scleroderma skin inflammation and fibrosis by suppressing monocyte-mediated endothelial injury.
Toll-like receptor 8 (TLR8) is implicated in systemic sclerosis (SSc) pathogenesis, but its precise cellular mechanisms remain elusive. This study elucidates TLR8's role in monocyte-endothelial crosstalk and evaluates the therapeutic potential of targeting the TLR8/AP-1 axis in SSc. TLR expression i…
Central sensitization in long COVID: Associations with autonomic symptom burden, cerebral hypoperfusion, and neuroinflammation.
The mechanisms driving the broad spectrum of Long COVID symptoms-such as fatigue, brain fog, pain, and dysautonomia-remain uncertain. This study investigated central sensitization (CS) as a potential contributor to symptom burden in patients with Long COVID. We aimed to examine its association with…
Long-term rheumatologic comorbidities in familial Mediterranean fever.
Familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) is characterized by pyrin inflammasome dysregulation and chronic subclinical inflammation. Whether FMF carries an increased long-term burden of rheumatologic and autoimmune inflammatory disease is unclear. We evaluated baseline and long-term occurrence of rheumatol…
Psychological Aspects of Rheumatic Diseases: Psychorheumatology in Clinical Practice.
Rheumatic diseases (RDs) significantly impact patients' physical, psychological, and social well-being, yet psychological dimensions remain inadequately addressed in routine clinical practice. In this commentary, we examine psychological manifestations and mental health comorbidities in RDs, such as…
Identifying patients at risk for jaw pain during oral appliance therapy for obstructive sleep apnea: clinical and craniofacial risk factors from a consecutive cohort.
Oral appliance therapy (OAT) is an established treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Temporomandibular disorder (TMD) symptoms, particularly jaw pain, are frequent side effects that may reduce adherence. This study evaluated clinical, behavioral, and craniofacial risk factors for OAT-related…
Stimulating Thyrotropin Receptor Antibodies Enhance the Expression of Both Thyrotropin Receptors and Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 Receptors in Fibroblasts.
Thyrotropin (TSH) and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) signals have been shown to be additive in their action on thyroid cells and fibroblasts, and this coordination emphasizes the role of TSH receptor (TSHR) and IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) signaling exerted by stimulating TSHR antibodies in patient…