ABOVE: Human spinal ganglion cells
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Because the most common symptoms of fibromyalgia involve pain and problems with motor control, the prevailing view is that dysfunction in the nervous system causes the disease. But a study published Thursday (July 1) in The Journal of Clinical Investigation suggests the disease may actually be caused by antibodies that interact with the nervous system.
“The widespread paradigm at the moment is that this is a disease that emanates from the brain,” lead author David Andersson of King’s College London tells The Guardian. “I think our findings suggest that that’s not the case.”
Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a painful and poorly understood chronic illness that causes widespread pain, emotional distress, fatigue, and brain fog. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that it affects at least 2 percent of the adult population in the US, and according to The Guardian, 80 percent ...
