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Fatigue
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Most patients with fibromyalgia complain of fatigue, but this symptom is not universal and is not required for diagnosis. In some people fatigue may be severe enough to impair normal activity, but in others it either is not present or is no longer recognized because of its constant presence.
Sleep disturbance is not thought to be the sole cause of fibromyalgia, although it certainly contributes to symptoms as well as to some of the biological abnormalities associated with this illness. Early research suggested that a disruption of deep sleep caused the fatigue (as well as some of the other clinical symptoms) that comes with fibromyalgia. However, many persons with FMS have normal sleep patterns, and the sleep disturbances seen in some people with fibromyalgia are not specific to the disorder. In addition, only a small percentage of persons with sleep disorders such as sleep apnea have fibromyalgia, and improvement in fibromyalgia symptoms with drug treatment does not necessarily improve sleep. At present, the role of sleep disturbances in fibromyalgia remains unclear. |
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