Risk Factors That Cause Fibromyalgia
One of the common risk factors of fibromyalgia is a family history of the illness. If someone else in the family is suffering from fibromyalgia or has suffered from it in the past, especially if it is a first degree relative, chances are that your risk factors of fibromyalgia and the muscle pains that it causes are greater than the average person.
Until a few years ago, there was no set name put to the symptoms of fibromyalgia which include muscle pains in the upper back, shoulders and neck. Many people who had this condition were dismissed as looking for sympathy or just simply as being depressed. Because nothing came up on X-rays or CT scans with regard to muscle deterioration or inflammation, people were thought to be making up the symptoms of fibromyalgia. However, it soon became apparent that many people suffered from this condition.
In addition to family history, gender is also included as one of the risk factors of fibromyalgia . Women are much more likely to be affected by this disease than men. No one knows why but hormones are suspected with regard to this fact. As far as race or culture, there is no known risk factors of fibromyalgia for any particular race or culture.
Muscle pain that is chronic can be crippling and can interfere with every day life. Many people who have fibromyalgia end up being on disability because they are unable to work due to the pain. Many more are just confined to the home. Anti depressants are often prescribed for those suffering from fibromyalgia although depression is not the known cause of the disease. It was often thought that depression might be the cause of the disease but this has not been proven. However, those who suffer from fibromyalgia and the muscle aches that accompany this disease with no known origin are more likely to suffer from depression simply due to the nature of the disease.
One disease that is thought to be a precursor to fibromyalgia and can be one of the risk factors of fibromyalgia is rheumatoid arthritis. This is a crippling auto immune disorder. Those with Lupus, another auto immune disorder are also at risk for fibromyalgia . These disease cause muscle aches in themselves so it is not for certain that the muscle aches patients complain of are not from the auto immune disease or from fibromyalgia.
It has often been suggested that fibromyalgia is an auto immune disease that is caused by a virus, but this has not been proven. As of now, there is no known cure for fibromyalgia. However, people with this disease can take advantage of the many different pain medications that are effective at alleviating some of the muscle aches and symptoms caused by the disease.
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