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What Is Fibromyalgia?
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Fibromyalgia is a common syndrome that affects the body's soft tissues (muscles, tendons, ligaments) and is characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, and a variety of associated symptoms. Although the term "fibromyalgia" was not introduced until 1976, this collection of symptoms was described as muscular rheumatism, fibrositis, fibromyositis, and psychogenic rheumatism as early as the 17th century. Further complicating the diagnosis of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is the considerable overlap with other conditions such as myofascial pain syndrome and chronic fatigue syndrome because some people meet criteria for more than one of these diagnoses.
The confusion surrounding the diagnosis of FMS was reduced considerably by results of a study sponsored by the American College of Rheumatology, from which requirements for the diagnosis of fibromyalgia were developed. These diagnostic criteria have been particularly useful for designing studies to measure the prevalence of FMS, to determine its causes, and to evaluate the effectiveness of various treatments.
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