NORTHWEST
Phone: 660-726-3800 ~ Fax: 660-726-4113
Website: www.nwmoaaa.org ~ email:
nwmoaaa@nwmoaaa.org
Serving as Your Trusted Source for
Unbiased Information and Services Since 1973
American
Pain Foundation is Launching a
Fibromyalgia
Awareness Pilot Project in Missouri
APF
Fibromyalgia Talking Points
201 N.
Charles Street, Suite 710 •Baltimore, MD 21201-4111 •Phone: (410) 783-7292
•Fax: (410) 385-1832 www.painfoundation.org
Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain disorder characterized by widespread
musculoskeletal pain that has lasted for at least three months.
People with fibromyalgia report
general tenderness and soreness, stiffness (especially in the morning),
flu-like aching, poor sleep as well as fatigue.
An estimated six million Americans
have fibromyalgia, most of them women.
As with other chronic pain
conditions, many people with fibromyalgia will consult multiple health care
providers and often live with the pain for years before it is properly
diagnosed and managed.
Only one in four people with
fibromyalgia are actually diagnosed with this condition.
On average, it takes five years to be
correctly diagnosed.
Unlike many conditions, fibromyalgia
cannot be detected through a blood test or X-ray.
Because fibromyalgia can mimic other
diseases, such as low thyroid (hormone) production, lupus, multiple sclerosis
and rheumatoid arthritis, it can be challenging for many health care providers,
especially in the primary care setting, to diagnose fibromyalgia.
It is important to communicate openly
with your health care provider about specific symptoms, other medical
conditions you might have, as well as ways in which the pain interferes with
your everyday life.
Fibromyalgia continues to be poorly understood. Fibromyalgia is real and
can be devastating for people living with it and their family members.
While the exact causes of
fibromyalgia are not fully known, it is recognized as a legitimate medical
condition by reputable experts and professional groups, including the National
Institutes of Health, the American Medical Association and the American College
of Rheumatology, among many others.
Undiagnosed or untreated fibromyalgia
can affect relationships with a person’s family members, friends and employers.
Lost work days and disability
payments can impose a large economic burden on the person with fibromyalgia as
well as society.
Direct costs (diagnostic tests,
provider visits, prescriptions) and indirect costs (lost productivity due to
fibromyalgia) cost on average $35,000 a year per person with fibromyalgia.
Pain doesn’t discriminate. It
affects people of all races and socio-economic status and at all stages of life
— from our very young to our elders.
Fibromyalgia occurs in men and women;
however, 90% of those diagnosed are women.
The prevalence of fibromyalgia
increases with age.
Unjustified stigmas and barriers
often prevent people with fibromyalgia symptoms from being properly diagnosed
and treated.
Because of the difficulty in
diagnosing fibromyalgia, people with fibromyalgia symptoms are often not
believed or thought of as "hypochondriacs" or "drug
seekers."
Many providers, often in the primary
care setting, are not trained to diagnose someone with fibromyalgia.
Insurance carriers often deny access
to approved medical treatments and non-medical therapies for managing
fibromyalgia.
As with many other types of pain,
appropriate and timely treatment is important to reduce suffering and help
people with fibromyalgia take back their lives. When pain is appropriately
treated, many people can resume daily activities and can be productive citizens
again.
Presently, there is no cure for
fibromyalgia, but there are treatments that can help.
Many people have found ways to have a
good quality of life while living with fibromyalgia.
The bottom line is — people with
fibromyalgia have a right to timely and effective care.
References:
American Pain
Foundation. The Mid Atlantic Fibromyalgia Survey and
the National Fibromyalgia Survey, 2008-2009.
Arnold LM, Crofford LJ, Mease PJ, et al.
Patient perspectives on the impact of fibromyalgia. Patient
Edue Couns. 2008:
73(1):114-120.
Goldenberg D. Schaefer C, Ryan K, Chandran A, Zlateva G. What is
the true cost of fibromyalgia to our society: results from a cross-sectional
survey in the United States. Abstract presented at:
American College of Rheumatology: October 18, 2009; Philadelphia, PA.
Lawrence RC.
Felson DT, Helmick CG,
Arnold LM, Choi H, Deyo RA, Gabriel S. Hirsch R,
Hochberg MC, Hunder GG, Jordan JM, Katz JN, Kremers HM, Wolfe F; National Arthritis Data Workgroups. Estimates of prevalence of arthritis and other rheumatic conditions
in the U.S. Arthritis Rheum. 2008 Jan:58
(1) 26-35.
National Fibromyalgia Association
White KP, Nielson WR, Harth M, Ostybye T, Speechley M. Does the label "fibromyalgia" alter
health status, function and health service utilization? Arthritis
Rheum. 2002:47(3):260-265.
Wolfe F. Ross K.
Anderson J. Russell IJ, Herbert L. The prevalence and characteristics of
fibromyalgia in the general
Population. Arthritis Rheum. 1995;38(1):19-28.
These fibromyalgia talking points
were produced by the American Pain Foundation (APF). APF is solely responsible
for the content and maintains editorial control of all materials and
publications we produce. We gratefully acknowledge those who support our work.
This project was made possible by support from Forest Laboratories Inc.
See
http://www.painfoundation.org/take-action/action-network/documents/talking-points-pain-care-advocacy.pdf.