A significant percentage of the estimated 20 million people with hypothyroidism end up also being diagnosed with fibromyalgia, an important connection discussed in my new book Living Well With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia. Both conditions share symptoms, including fatigue, exhaustion, depression, brain fog, and varying degrees of muscle and joint pain. Some experts believe that like most cases of hypothyroidism, fibromyalgia is also autoimmune in nature. Others believe that fibromyalgia may be one manifestation of an underactive metabolism – hypometabolism – and is therefore one variation on thyroid dysfunction.
Fibromyalgia, also known as fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), fibromyositis, fibrositis, and myofibrositis, is characterized by widespread joint and muscle pain and tenderness, fatigue, and exhaustion after sleep and after effort.
Fibromyalgia affects as many as 8 million people in the U.S., occurring mainly in women of childbearing age. Symptoms usually arise between the ages of 20-55 years, but the condition also may be diagnosed in childhood. Among the entire population, it's estimated that as many as 3-6% of the general population, including children, meet the criteria for diagnosis of fibromyalgia. This would make fibromyalgia over twice as common as rheumatoid arthritis. In general, fibromyalgia is strikes women seven times more often than men, according to a 1998 National Institutes of Health report.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It is possible to avoid any thyroid illness with proper diet and natural thyroid medication . A good diet can go a long way in keeping the thyroid gland in healthy condition.
ReplyDeleteUseful Information about
ReplyDeletefibromyalgia.