Low Levels of Certain Cytokines May Be Linked to Fibromyalgia

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Low Levels of Certain Cytokines May Be Linked to Fibromyalgia
From Carol & Richard Eustice

Fibromyalgia is among the conditions marked by chronic widespread pain. Fatigue, depression, and insufficient sleep can be associated with conditions characterized by chronic widespread pain, making diagnosis difficult.

How Is Fibromyalgia Diagnosed?

Fibromyalgia Diagnosis Is Difficult

Research shows that people with fibromyalgia typically see many doctors before receiving the diagnosis. One reason for this may be that pain and fatigue, the main symptoms of fibromyalgia, overlap with many other conditions.

Doctors often have to rule out other potential causes of these symptoms before making a diagnosis of fibromyalgia.

No Diagnostic Laboratory Tests For Fibromyalgia

Another reason fibromyalgia diagnosis remains difficult is that there are currently no diagnostic laboratory tests for fibromyalgia; standard laboratory tests fail to reveal a physiologic reason for pain.

Because there is no generally accepted, objective test for fibromyalgia, some doctors unfortunately may conclude a patient's pain is not real, or they may tell the patient there is little they can do.

Diagnostic Criteria For Fibromyalgia

A doctor familiar with fibromyalgia, however, can make a diagnosis based on two criteria established by the American College of Rheumatology:

A history of widespread pain lasting more than 3 months
The presence of tender points

Pain is considered to be widespread when it affects all four quadrants of the body; that is, you must have pain in both your right and left sides as well as above and below the waist to be diagnosed with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia Tender Points

The American College of Rheumatology also has designated 18 sites on the body as possible tender points. For a fibromyalgia diagnosis, a person must have 11 or more tender points.

What are Fibromyalgia Tender Points?
One of these predesignated sites is considered a true tender point only if the person feels pain upon the application of 4 kilograms of pressure to the site. People who have fibromyalgia certainly may feel pain at other sites, too, but those 18 standard possible sites on the body are the criteria used for classification.

Study results published in the August 2006 issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism revealed cytokine profiles of 40 patients with chronic widespread pain. Of the 40 patients, 26 had fibromyalgia. Cytokines are proteins which serve as messengers between cells and play a role in the inflammation pathway.

Researchers found that patients with chronic widespread pain had significantly lower levels of two cytokines, IL-4 and IL-10. Further studies will determine if the lower cytokine levels (of which there may be more) are a consequence of chronic widespread pain or if they are part of the cause.