Can Stress Cause Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is a very painful disease. It affects almost all the muscles, tendons, ligaments and tendons of the sufferer. The symptoms can sometimes be mistaken for the onset of arthritis. Women are affected the most by this disease but it can also affect children and men. Trouble sleeping and feeling tired are also symptoms. All of the symptoms can increase and be more pronounced by stress and weather conditions. Depression and anxiety can manifest with this disease.

In a 2003 study, the conclusion that stress could cause the disease was not the determined. Some patients that have the disease have a history of chronic or sever stress earlier in their life. There is nothing tangible found to connect this as the cause of the disease. Severe or chronic stress can manifest symptoms of fibromyalgia. Other research indicates that there could be a hereditary connection to fibromyalgia. They also concluded that a person could have the genes, but the disease would not show up unless there was a stress factor included.

There are two basic kinds of fibromyalgia. Primary originates from unknown causes. Secondary originates from other medical problems, such as physical injury, especially in the neck area, arthritis, hepatitis and endometriosis. If the disease is the second variety, doctors must first eliminate all other medical conditions in order to find the cause.

There are some conditions that seem to relate to or possibly cause primary fibromyalgia. Those conditions include sleep problems, low melatonin and serotonin levels, brain hormone fluctuations, low levels of stress hormones and low levels of growth hormones.

The conclusion being drawn by most researchers is that fibromyalgia is never caused by just one factor, but by a combination of factors, including physical and psychological. Stress can, however, cause the symptoms to worsen.