Fibro Friday: Autoimmune?

Whenever I describe what FM is, I would always say that it is an autoimmune disorder.  Well, turns out it isn't.  I happen to be talking to my rhuematologist about it at my last appointment and she corrected me.  I was a little surprised so I decided to do a little of my own research.


All of the websites I googled said nothing about it being an autoimmune disorder (which I swear I saw something one time that did).  What they did say is that people are misunderstood and think that it is. 

 The National Fibromyalgia Association says that:

Fibromyalgia (pronounced fy-bro-my-AL-ja) is a common and complex chronic pain disorder that affects people physically, mentally and socially. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome rather than a disease. Unlike a disease, which is a medical condition with a specific cause or causes and recognizable signs and symptoms, a syndrome is a collection of signs, symptoms, and medical problems that tend to occur together but are not related to a specific, identifiable cause.



Fibromyalgia, which has also been referred to as fibromyalgia syndrome, fibromyositis and fibrositis, is characterized by chronic widespread pain, multiple tender points, abnormal pain processing, sleep disturbances, fatigue and often psychological distress. For those with severe symptoms, fibromyalgia can be extremely debilitating and interfere with basic daily activities.

So there ya have it, I'm just glad I learned this now (after 9 years) so that I can start sharing the correct information.