Turkish Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2008 , Vol 54 , Num 1

Etiopathogenesis in Fibromyalgia

Ali Gür 1
1 Gaziantep Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi, Fiziksel Tıp ve Rehabilitasyon Anabilim Dalı, Gaziantep, Türkiye

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a form of non-articular rheumatism characterized by long term (>3 months) and widespread musculoskeletal pain. Research performed in the past decade has shown that patients with FM frequently have dysfunction of the stress response system. Furthermore, emerging clues propose that such dysfunction may be important in the pathogenesis of the syndrome. The biophysiology of FM, however, has remained elusive and the treatment remains mainly empirical. There are numerous hypotheses about the pathophysiology of chronic widespread pain and FM. Pain, stiffness and depression in FM could be associated with some signs of inflammatory response system activation. Illumination of the pathophysiologic secrets of FM will sign the most effective treatment regims. This article reviews pain mechanisms and new developments in pathopysiology of fibromyalgia. 

Keywords : Fibromyalgia, etiopathogenesis, central mechanisms, peripheral mechanisms, immun mediators