A recent study points to the hypothesis that fibromyalgia might be an autoimmune disease. The research is being developed by the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London, collaborating with the University of Liverpool and the Karolinska Institute.
Fibromyalgia patients suffer from several symptoms, such as pain sensitivity, muscle weakness, increased fatigue, reduced movement, and reduced number of small nerve fibres in the skin. The research is revealing the root of these symptoms is antibodies that increase the activity of pain-sensing nerves throughout the body.
In the study, blood from 44 people with fibromyalgia was harvested and injected purified antibodies from each one of the participants into different mice. Shortly after being injected, the mice became more sensitive to pressure and cold, and displayed reduced grip strength in their paws. Animals injected with antibodies from healthy people were unaffected.
The mice recovered after a few weeks once the antibodies had cleared from their systems.
Fibromyalgia usually develops between the ages of 25 and 55 and affects at least 1 in 40 people worldwide, with some estimates suggesting approximately 1 in 20 people may be affected to some extent. The research brings tremendous hope to the patients suffering from the syndrome.
The findings were published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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