Men with Fibromyalgia Often go Undiagnosed

Health & Wellness

Men with Fibromyalgia Often go Undiagnosed

By
Dana Sparks

December 19, 2012

human body drawings with marks defining tender spots for fibromyalgia — The 18 tender points associated with fibromyalgia occur in symmetrical pairs from the back of your head to your inner knees.

Fibromyalgia is a complex illness to diagnose and to treat. There's not a diagnostic test or cure and many fibromyalgia symptoms — pain, fatigue, problems sleeping and memory and mood issues — can overlap with or get mistaken for other conditions. Now, a new Mayo Clinic study suggests that many people are going undiagnosed ... especially men. Lead author Ann Vincent, M.D., medical director of Mayo Clinic’s Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Clinic says, “This could be because health care providers may not think of this diagnosis when face to face with a male patient with musculoskeletal pain and fatigue.”

The findings appear online in the journal Arthritis Care & Research. Click here for news release