Current statistics suggest that fibromyalgia (FMS) affects 1 in 40 people worldwide, with 80% being women. The common characteristics of FMS include widespread body pain, fatigue (fibro fog), and emotional stress. FMS commonly develops in people between 25-55 years of age and can affect children as well.

New research points to the immune system as the culprit and not the brain, as it has been associated in the past.

A new study, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience at King’s College London, in collaboration with the University of Liverpool and the Karolinska Institute, has demonstrated that many of the symptoms of FMS are actually derived by the antibodies that directly activate pain-sensing nerves throughout the body.

This incredible finding deviates from the current science that looked at the brain as being the source of the pain.

It was determined in the study that the patients antibodies was the cause for the increase of pain sensations, limitations of movement, muscle weakness and the reduction of skin nerve fibers that are typical in fibromyalgia patients.

The research team injected mice with antibodies of people with FMS and noticed an immediate increase in sensitivity to cold and pressure and a reduction of grip strength, that wasn’t experienced when they injected antibodies from healthy subjects. This lead the scientists to conclude that a patients antibodies are a major contributor to the disease.

The scientific team also noticed that the mice recovered after being injected with the fibromyalgia antibodies after a few weeks. When their lymphatic system rid itself of the residual antibodies. This finding strongly suggests that effective treatment plans could be implemented from reducing antibody levels in patients.

According to Dr. David Andersson, lead investigator, King’s College London. “The implications of this study are profound. Establishing that fibromyalgia is an autoimmune disorder will transform how we view the condition and should pave the way for more effective treatments for the millions of people affected. Our work has uncovered a whole new area of therapeutic options and should give real hope to fibromyalgia patients. Previous exploration of therapies has been hampered by our limited understanding of the illness. This should now change. Treatment for FMS is focused on gentle aerobic exercises, as well as drug and psychological therapies designed to manage pain, although these have proven ineffective in most patients and have left behind and enormous unmet clinical need.”

Dr. Andreas Goebel, the principle clinical investigator of the study, from the University of Liverpool, thought that some of the FMS cases could possibly have an autoimmunity origin. But, gave credit to Dr David Anderssons team for discovering the pain causing antibodies in each fibromyalgia patient. That ultimately will give hope for so many who are in need of a more treatable solution to this condition.

The same results were seen in antibodies of FMS people living in two different countries, the UK and Sweden. This gives further efficacy to the studies findings and hopefully will quicken the pace of research to develop novel treatments for FMS.

Currently, there is a lack of blood-based tests for a FMS diagnosis and not knowing the factors the symptom-inducing antibodies bind to still needs to be discovered.

Fibromyalgia has been a difficult disease to treat, manage or diagnose because the cause is unknown. This research now shows that the antibodies in the blood can bring about fibromyalgia like symptoms. Demonstrating how crucial the findings are of this study. It brings us much closer to a more precise treatment strategy that has been lacking for this mysterious disease. Scientists remain optimistic for a new targeted approach for the treatment of fibromyalgia which could appear in the near future.

-A Balanced Brain is a Pain-Free Brain-