Biology and therapy of fibromyalgia. Stress, the stress response system, and fibromyalgia

Manuel Martinez-Lavin, Manuel Martinez-Lavin

Abstract

Stress is a state of disharmony, or threatened homeostasis. A stressor could have a psychological origin or a biological origin. Societies have become more intricate with industrialization, and modern individuals try to adapt to the new defiance by forcing their stress response system. The main component of the stress response network is the autonomic nervous system. The present article reviews current knowledge on autonomic dysfunction in fibromyalgia. Sympathetic hyperactivity has been consistently described by diverse groups of investigators. Fibromyalgia is proposed to be a sympathetically maintained neuropathic pain syndrome, and genomic data support this contention. Autonomic dysfunction may also explain other fibromyalgia features not related to pain.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Theoretical etiopathogenetic mechanisms in fibromyalgia. See text for details. COMT, catechol-O-methyltransferase.

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