Because fibromyalgia is difficult to diagnose and sometimes occurs with other muscle or joint diseases or chronic pain conditions, determining just how many people have this condition is difficult. However, it is estimated that 3 to 6 million people in the United States have fibromyalgia.1
Women are affected far more often than men, although men and children also get fibromyalgia. While fibromyalgia can occur at any age, the chance of getting this condition increases as you age and seems to be greatest after age 60.2 Those who are most likely to be diagnosed include:1
- People who also have a rheumatic condition, such as lupus or rheumatoid arthritis.
- Women who have another family member with fibromyalgia, although the reasons for this are not clear.
About half of people with fibromyalgia say their symptoms started after they had been ill from an infectious disease such as Lyme disease. Although research is still being done, no connection between infectious disease and fibromyalgia has been firmly established.3
References
Citations
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) (2004). Questions and Answers About Fibromyalgia. Available online: http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/fibromyalgia/fibrofs.htm.
Winfield JB (2006). Fibromyalgia. In DC Dale, DD Federman, eds., ACP Medicine, section 15, chap. 13. New York: WebMD.
Bradley LA, Alarcon GS (2005). Fibromyalgia section of Miscellaneous rheumatic diseases. In WJ Koopman, LW Moreland, eds., Arthritis and Allied Conditions: A Textbook of Rheumatology, 15th ed., vol. 2, pp. 1869–1910. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Credits
| Author | Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Associate Editor | Tracy Landauer |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | Anne C. Poinier, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Stanford M. Shoor, MD - Rheumatology |
| Last Updated | October 30, 2007 |
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