World Fibromyalgia Awareness Day
World Fibromyalgia Awareness Day
Fibromyalgia is an immobilizing, difficult to manage and not widely known musculoskeletal disease which affects many men and women worldwide. Fibromyalgia is about seven times as likely to affect women as men, and although it usually is seen in people between the ages of 30 and 50, it can affect people of any age. It is also difficult to diagnose as there isn’t a specific set of testing which can find and diagnose it, and the symptoms that sufferers experience are often attributed to other diseases before Fibromyalgia is accurately identified.
Some of the symptoms include:
- tender points
- widespread pain
- incapacitating fatigue
- anxiety/depression
- migraines/chronic headaches
- irritable bowel syndrome
- irritable bladder
- insomnia
- hypersensitivity to cold/hot
- swelling
- numbness/stiffness
- noise, light, odour and sensitivity
The symptoms may come and go, lasting a few minutes, an hour, a day, a
week, a month, or a year. As there is no cure for fibromyalgia, a variety of
treatments and therapies focus on reducing the amount and frequency of pain as
well as improving sleep.
To get support if you are living with fibromyalgia and also get involved
in raising awareness, visit Fibromyalgia Action UK
