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Fibromyalgia.

Last updated Wednesday, December 22, 2004

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Diagnosis and evaluation

How is fibromyalgia diagnosed?

The diagnosis is usually based on talking to your health care provider and having an examination done.

There are 18 points (9 on each side of the body) that are tender to touch. Most of these are around the neck and shoulders. Someone who has seen people with fibromyalgia usually has no problem finding these tender points. The rest of the examination is usually normal unless other medical conditions are also present unrelated to fibromyalgia.

What tests may be used to diagnose fibromyalgia?

Your health care provider will usually check a series of blood tests to look for other possible conditions that might mimic fibomyalgia. Low thyroid hormone (hypothyroidism), typically causes fatigue, cold intolerance, muscle aches and pain, and weight gain. Anemia also may lead to fatigue, and exercise intolerance. People with abnormally high or low levels of calcium in their blood may also have similar symptoms. Several muscle disorders may mimic fibromyalgia and can be checked with a blood test called the CPK. Certain inflammatory disorders may also appear to be fibromyalgia and can be detected by examination and by checking a blood test for inflammation called the ESR. As mentioned above, depression can mimic symptoms of fibromyalgia and knowing whether this is present or not may have profound impact on treatment. Therefore it is important to know if depression is present. This can usually be detected by a few simple questions.

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