Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Etiology, Pathogenesis, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Table 1

Differential diagnoses for fibromyalgia and corresponding diagnostic testing options.

Differential diagnoses	Diagnostic testing options
Adrenal dysfunction	Morning serum cortisol, urinary catecholamine metabolites
Anemia	CBC with differential, RBC indices (MCV, MHC, MCHC)
Bone marrow disease	WBC differential, ESR, CRP, CMP
Chronic fatigue syndrome	Clinical history
Functional disorders (e.g., intestinal dysbiosis, subtle endocrine imbalances, and postviral immune suppression)	Standard laboratory testing yields unclear results
Hypothyroidism	Thyroid function tests (T3, T4, TSH)
Lyme disease	Lyme titer, CMP
Psychiatric conditions (e.g., PTSD, anxiety, and depression)	Refer to DSM-IV
Multiple sclerosis	MRI scan, lumbar puncture, evoked potential testing
Phenomenological referred myofascial pain	Muscular tender points on physical examination
Rheumatoid autoimmune disorders (e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and scleroderma)	Rheumatic profile (rheumatoid factor, ESR/CRP), ANA
Sleep disorders	EEG sleep studies
Spinal facet pain or sacroiliac joint pain	Radiologic studies (MRI scan, CT scan), bone scans (minimal diagnostic assistance)
Spinal disc herniation	MRI scan
Systemic inflammation or infection	Radiologic studies (MRI scan, CT scan), bone scans (minimal diagnostic assistance)
Vitamin and/or mineral deficiency	Radiologic studies (MRI scan, CT scan), bone scans (minimal diagnostic assistance)

CBC: complete blood count; RBC: red blood cell; MCV: mean corpuscular volume; MCH: mean corpuscular haemoglobin; MCHC: mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration; WBC: white blood cell; ESR: erythrocyte sedimentation rate; CRP: C-reactive protein; CMP: complete metabolic profile; T3: triiodothyronine; T4: thyroxine; TSH: thyroid-stimulating hormone; PTSD: posttraumatic stress disorder; DSM-IV: diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders; ANA: antinuclear antibody; EEG: electroencephalography; MRI: magnetic resonance imaging; CT: computed tomography.