Dysfunction of the Nervous, Endocrine and Immune Systems

Fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome have been associated with dysfunction of the immune system that either leads or results in viral infections. A defect in T-cell activation was traced in fibromyalgia patients. Research suggests that dysregulation of interactions between the immune and the nervous system may possibly cause neuroendocrine changes and immunologic dysfunction.

Neuroendocrine dysregulation that includes sleep disturbances, viral injury to cellular calcium channels, possible serotonin deficiency and immunologic dysfunction (including defects in T-cell activation) are the physiological imbalances observed in patients suffering from Fibromyalgia. It has been postulated that in fibromyalgia due to viral infection, viral damage maybe caused to the calcium channels in cellular membrane. Apoptosis is a process wherein cellular death is caused by calcium.

Besides, significant muscle abnormalities like moth-eaten appearance in type I fibers and type II fiber atrophy, are present in fibromyalgia. Many have considered that skeletal muscle is responsible for the pain in Fibromyalgia. But the intimate involvement between the hormonal, immune and nervous system are becoming increasingly visible.

Many researchers believe that Fibromyalgia and CFIDS are caused mainly by abnormalities in the neurohormonal system. And to support this patients with fibromyalgia exhibit disturbances in major stress response systems, the sympathetic system and the hypothalamic–pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. The neurohormonal disturbances may also cause widespread fatigue and pain that are clinical features of Fibromyalgia and related disorders.

Shift in growth hormone (GH) and insulin-like growth factor-1 (1GF-1) are also considered competent factors.

In-spite the presence of normal thyroid hormone, the existence of the low thyroid symptoms in Fibromyalgia, proposed that genetic defect maybe the root cause of Fibromyalgia. Genes that would result in low-affinity thyroid-hormone receptors prevented normal thyroid-hormone regulation of transcription. Almost every feature of Fibromyalgia corresponds to symptoms or signs associated with failed transcription regulation by thyroid hormone.

Biochemical Abnormalities

In Fibromyalgia different types of biochemical imbalances like reduced Erythrocyte Magnesium levels, mercury exposure, reduced rates of glucose phosphorylation, abnormal cellular metabolism, increased concentration of homocysteine is quite common.

Submitted on January 16, 2014