People with fibromyalgia have muscle pains and tender areas in various places throughout the body. You may also feel depressed or anxious and have headaches, irritable bowel syndrome and problems sleeping. Though the cause of fibromyalgia is unknown, one hypothesis on what may trigger the disorder proposes that people with this condition have abnormalities metabolizing tryptophan.
What Is Fibromyalgia?
Fibromyalgia is a disorder that as of 2005 affects approximately 5 million adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most people with this disorder are middle-aged, and it affects women seven times more than it does men. Physicians do not know yet what causes this syndrome, but several hypotheses have been proposed due to various abnormalities found in lab tests, diagnostic tests, imaging test and studies. Some even hypothesize that emotional stress and genetics may somehow play a role.
Symptoms
People with fibromyalgia have muscle pains in several areas of the body, especially in their thighs, chest, neck, lower back, shoulders and back of the head, according to The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. Many times, the pain starts gradually and you feel stiff. The pain tends to get worse whenever you are tired, strain a muscle, do not sleep well, or are having a great deal of emotional or physical stress.
Diagnostic Abnormalities
Sleep studies which use an electroencephalograph to record all electrical brain signals show that people with fibromyalgia have poor Stage 4 sleep, according to "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine." They have low levels of the growth hormone, a hormone secreted during Stage 4 sleep which is needed for strength and for the repair of damaged muscles. Their cerebrospinal fluid has a low amount of serotonin, a substance that regulates Stage 4 sleep as well as pain. They have less blood flow to areas of the brain involved in pain and have problems metabolizing tryptophan.
Tryptophan and Fibromyalgia
Tryptophan is an amino acid that is metabolized to other substances, including serotonin. A study published in the December 2002 issue of the journal "Neurobiology of Disease" found that some people with fibromyalgia do have abnormal metabolism of tryptophan, which results in a lower amount of serotonin.
References
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Fibromyalgia
- "Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine"; Anthony Fauci, M.D., et al.; 2008
- The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals: Fibromyalgia
- "Neurobiology of Disease"; Evidence for an Altered Tryptophan Metabolism in Fibromyalgia; M.J. Schwarz; December 2002
