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The procedure related to the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia has historically been very perplexing and fraught with error. There aren't any proven diagnostic assessments that can be relied upon to know for certain if a person does or does not have Fibromyalgia. Blood assessments, x-rays, MRI's as well as other frequently used procedures for examining the body in a diagnostic manner are ineffective relative to Fibromyalgia diagnosis.
Fibromyalgia is frequently misdiagnosed even though the accepted diagnostic criteria for Fibromyalgia is vague enough and so open to interpretation that this should come as no surprise. A Fibromyalgia diagnosis is rarely isolated. Most people are usually informed they have several linked illnesses including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Depression, Anxiety and many others. Some experts feel that most of these these types of conditions may in fact stem from a shared cause and thus may be the same ailment manifesting itself in different ways in different individuals.
The first formal standards for diagnosing Fibromyalgia were released in 1990 by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). These Fibromyalgia diagnosis guidelines concentrated primarily on 3 clear-cut points. The first key criteria was for pain to be present for an prolonged length of time in all 4 quadrants of the body. The second point was for the affected individual to have "tender points" in at least 11 of 18 defined areas and the last main diagnostic notation was that no other legitimate explanation for the chronic pain be present. The guidelines did contain more detail but not of a conclusive nature. The extremely wide scope of these guidelines in conjunction with the extraordinary difficulty in being familiar with and properly determining Fibromyalgia tender points result in a huge amount of frustration for both patients and care providers
The confusion and difficulties surrounding Fibromyalgia diagnosis was common enough that finally efforts were made to try and refine the process. In 2010 the ACR modified their diagnostic criteria, though the updates are officially still being reviewed. The new guidelines are supposed to simplify the approach and remove the confusion and problems in relation to tender points.
The 2010 ACR Fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria substituted the assessment of tender points with a much more open Widespread Pain Index. The WPI takes into account pain encountered in the 4 quadrants of the body without placing specific definitive restrictions on which form the pain must take. Fibromyalgia may now be clinically diagnosed without having a specific mention of tender points. The necessity that no other valid explanation for the persistent pain be present is still around. These improved Fibromyalgia diagnosis criteria have made the diagnostic process simpler, but it remains an extremely complicated medical condition to diagnose.
The lack of definitive medical tests or verified consistent causal relationships in diagnosing Fibromyalgia continues on to lead to broad confusion and to a general sense of skepticism and lack of acknowledgement among many doctors relative to Fibromyalgia.
Fibromyalgia is frequently misdiagnosed even though the accepted diagnostic criteria for Fibromyalgia is vague enough and so open to interpretation that this should come as no surprise. A Fibromyalgia diagnosis is rarely isolated. Most people are usually informed they have several linked illnesses including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Depression, Anxiety and many others. Some experts feel that most of these these types of conditions may in fact stem from a shared cause and thus may be the same ailment manifesting itself in different ways in different individuals.
The first formal standards for diagnosing Fibromyalgia were released in 1990 by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR). These Fibromyalgia diagnosis guidelines concentrated primarily on 3 clear-cut points. The first key criteria was for pain to be present for an prolonged length of time in all 4 quadrants of the body. The second point was for the affected individual to have "tender points" in at least 11 of 18 defined areas and the last main diagnostic notation was that no other legitimate explanation for the chronic pain be present. The guidelines did contain more detail but not of a conclusive nature. The extremely wide scope of these guidelines in conjunction with the extraordinary difficulty in being familiar with and properly determining Fibromyalgia tender points result in a huge amount of frustration for both patients and care providers
The confusion and difficulties surrounding Fibromyalgia diagnosis was common enough that finally efforts were made to try and refine the process. In 2010 the ACR modified their diagnostic criteria, though the updates are officially still being reviewed. The new guidelines are supposed to simplify the approach and remove the confusion and problems in relation to tender points.
The 2010 ACR Fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria substituted the assessment of tender points with a much more open Widespread Pain Index. The WPI takes into account pain encountered in the 4 quadrants of the body without placing specific definitive restrictions on which form the pain must take. Fibromyalgia may now be clinically diagnosed without having a specific mention of tender points. The necessity that no other valid explanation for the persistent pain be present is still around. These improved Fibromyalgia diagnosis criteria have made the diagnostic process simpler, but it remains an extremely complicated medical condition to diagnose.
The lack of definitive medical tests or verified consistent causal relationships in diagnosing Fibromyalgia continues on to lead to broad confusion and to a general sense of skepticism and lack of acknowledgement among many doctors relative to Fibromyalgia.
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