Fibromyalgia Diagnostic Confusion | Live Stream

Diagnosing fibromyalgia is confusing! It's time to work on standardizing it.

From the 2016 revision to the 2010/2011 fibromyalgia criteria. Fibromyalgia may now be diagnosed in adults when all of the following criteria are met:
(1) Generalized pain, defined as pain in at least 4 of 5 regions, is present.
(2) Symptoms have been present at a similar level for at least 3 months.
(3) Widespread pain index (WPI) ≥ 7 and symptom severity scale (SSS) score ≥ 5 OR WPI of 4–6 and SSS score ≥ 9.
(4) A diagnosis of fibromyalgia is valid irrespective of other diagnoses. A diagnosis of fibromyalgia does not exclude the presence of other clinically important illnesses.

Reference for the 2016 updates: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...
Please note they have moved away from the tender point test. Some doctors still insist on using it but the updated guidelines no longer use the tender point test.

Remember to present your healthcare providers with a visual diagram in a correct "anatomical position," which is a standardized reference point for describing body parts. This allows for consistent understanding and comparison. It's not about being "cute". We need accuracy and to remove bias. Men are also diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Reference image: https://www.mdpi.com/jcm/jcm-09-01219...

Full sheet from ACR based on the 2010 criteria: https://rheumatology.org/api/asset/bl...

Mayo Clinic Definition: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-c...

The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology management of fibromyalgia document: https://ard.bmj.com/content/annrheumd...

A small group of healthcare providers are looking at a new way to diagnosis fibromyalgia. Let us know your thoughts. AAPT Diagnostic Criteria for Fibromyalgia: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science...

Melissa Talwar is the Executive Director of the Fibromyalgia National Health Organization. She is an award wining Board Certified Functional Medicine Health Coach and patient advocate. Melissa is Wahls Protocol Certified, ReCODE 2.0 (Bredesen Protocol) trained, Functional Nutritionist, completed additional clinical training at the Kharrazian Institute, and is currently a nursing student for an MSN program.

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