Part of the difficulty with diagnosing fibromyalgia is that there are several conditions that mirror its symptoms.

Lupus

Lupus is an autoimmune disease that can affect parts of the body, including the joints. Normally, the body makes proteins called antibodies to protect the body in response to antigens (a substance that causes an immune reaction). With an autoimmune disorder, like lupus, the immune system cannot tell the difference between foreign substances and its own cells and tissues. As a result, the body produces antibodies that attack cells of the body. The primary symptom of lupus is inflammation, causing pain and swelling. This symptom often causes confusion when diagnosing fibromyalgia.

Lyme Disease

Lyme disease is an infection transferred to humans through the bite of a tick. Some of the symptoms of Lyme disease resemble those of fibromyalgia. The symptoms include widespread joint pain, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. The early onset of Lyme disease feels like the flu, and the symptoms escalate from there to the muscle pain. The pain associated with Lyme disease is usually concentrated in one joint, and is not as widespread as fibromyalgia pain.

Arthritis

I would bet that most fibromyalgia suffers at one time think they may have arthritis. Arthritis is characterized by joint pain and inflammation and can be diagnosed through blood tests and X-rays. This joint pain is what leads to the confusion with fibromyalgia. Arthritis pain is from inflammation and fibromyalgia pain is not. The anti-inflammatory drugs that give relief to arthritis patients are not effective with fibromyalgia pain. Arthritis can cause joint damage, but the pain from fibromyalgia syndrome (”FMS”) does not cause long term damage.

So, although the pain felt by patients is similar, these two conditions vary in many different instances.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic fatigue syndrome (”CFS”) is another condition often associated with fibromyalgia. The fatigue and pain felt with CFS resembles that of fibromyalgia. The main difference is that with CFS, the fatigue comes first and then the pain. When suffering from FMS, the patient feels the widespread pain first, and then the fatigue follows. Read Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia to learn more about CFS.

Myofascial Pain Syndrome

Myofascial pain syndrome is a painful condition that affects the muscles and fascia throughout the body. Fascia is connective tissue that covers and supports the body’s bones, tissues, blood vessels, and organs. This is often associated with trigger points, which are painful knots just under the skin. The pain associated with this condition can be both centrally located, like in the jaw, or widespread. The chronic pain that comes with myofascial pain syndrome lead some to believe that it is a form of fibromyalgia. Since this condition features trigger points and not the tender points associated with FMS, they are two separate syndromes. However, it is not unlikely that fibromyalgia sufferers will develop myofascial pain syndrome and vice versa.

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