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A new study about pain and depression in Fibromyaliga patients.

© Barb Briley

Recently I was handed an article about a small test group dealing with Fibro and depressed woman.

The study although small was relatively complete. The study was covered by a Reuters Health article from Nov 16 2001. In this article, titled "Brain scans show increased Pain sensitivity in Fibromyalgia" they used a relatively small group of individuals.

Large group studies are necessary to completely sample patients and their responses to stimuli, yet I found the study interesting enough to bring to our groups attention.

The study consisted of comparing brain scans of depressed woman who did not have fibromyalgia against brain scans of depressed fibromyalgia patients after they were exposed to pain.

Through brain imaging they were able to compare blood flow to the brain during pain exposure. The pain increase the patients were exposed to and the points of the application of the pain were uniform in measurement and increase. Making the examination clinical and complete. The only disappointing factor, as I mentioned before, was that the group consisted of 22 health women, 8 depressed woman and 21 women with Fibromyalgia. Using a group of only 41 patients limits the over all scope of the study.

Despite the size limitation the study did provide insite to the fact that Fibromyalgia patients have lower pain thresholds than the other two study groups.

By using brain scans to verify pain levels and length of pain the doctors have been able to prove that pain levels are indeed genuine and worse than the average healthy woman or a simply depressed woman.

Whatelse can this mean for Fibromyalgia patients? The changed brain levels of blood flow and evidence of pain length after exposure to pain proves at least that we are not crazy and that our pain although effected by brain levels is not imaginary or of a purely psycological cause.

Depending how you look at this information you could be happy to know you that you are not just crazy but are suffering from a real problem. Fibromyalgia it seems is real just not understood.

That said I would like to tell you that um... well we knew that.. hopefully larger research projects are on the horizon and we will indeed find out more in the up coming new year. Happy Holidays and good luck with the rigors of Christmas and the new year.