The University of Chicago Medical Center explains that fibromyalgia, a condition that causes pain in soft tissue, affects 2 to 4 percent of people in the United States. Patients with fibromyalgia mainly have pain, but they may also experience depression, headaches, gastrointestinal problems and difficulty with memory. MedlinePlus points out that the cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, but triggers may bring on the symptoms. None of these triggers are well-proven.
Abnormal Pain Responses
Patients who have abnormal pain responses may develop fibromyalgia. The pain that patients experience from fibromyalgia occurs at tender points, which include the knees, neck, elbows, shoulders, shins, sternum, hips and lower back. MedlinePlus explains that patients with fibromyalgia may have differences in the brain, specifically in the areas of the brain responsible for reacting to pain. For example, patients may have changes to neurotransmitters, which are involved with brain communication, that can increase their pain responses. The University of Chicago Medical Center adds that other abnormalities in patients' bodies may trigger the fibromyalgia. These abnormalities include differences in the immune system and endocrine system, the system that regulates hormones.
Trauma
MedlinePlus notes that if a person experiences physical or emotional trauma, it may trigger fibromyalgia. Patients can experience internal bleeding or a loss of consciousness. Some patients may lose a limb or have some irreversible damage that may also affect them emotionally. Emotional trauma can result for a variety of events, such as an assault or natural disaster. Some people who experience emotional trauma may develop a type of anxiety disorder called post-traumatic stress disorder or PTSD, which MayoClinic.com points out that is a co-existing condition for fibromyalgia.
Infection
Patients who experience infections may develop fibromyalgia. Infection may result from a virus or another infectious microbe or microorganism. The infection may affect how patients experience or respond to pain. MedlinePlus points out that doctors have not discovered a specific virus or microbe that triggers fibromyalgia.
Sleep Problems
MedlinePlus explains that sleep problems can trigger fibromyalgia. People can have sleep disturbances in which their deep sleep becomes disrupted. The University of California Los Angeles' Center for Neurovisceral Sciences and Women's Health explains that a sleep disturbance linked to fibromyalgia is alpha EEG sleep anomaly. On an electroencephalogram, or EEG, patients with an alpha EEG sleep anomaly have an alpha wave, the rapid wave read by the EEG, interfering on the delta wave, the slow wave, while patients are in deep sleep. Even if patients get eight or more hours of sleep each night, the deep sleep disruption leaves them feeling tired.
