Canada Leads the World!
Major Medical First Brings Help to Millions of Canadians with Fibromyalgia
Doctors now have a tool to identify and manage Fibromyalgia Syndrome (FMS). Millions of Canadians have FMS! It is 2 to 5 times more common than rheumatoid arthritis. The cost to our economy is large. FMS affects children and adults, and can become severely debilitating. Research confirms abnormal chemical changes in the pain processing regions of the nervous system. This results in increased body pain. There is no known cure but treatments are available.
In response to a survey by the National ME/FM Action Network, doctors across the country indicated an urgent need for a clinical definition, plus diagnostic and treatment guidelines. Health Canada selected an expert consensus panel of the best treating physicians, teaching faculty, and world leaders in research to deal with this crisis.
They developed the world's first clincial definition. The FMS expert panel maintained the research definition requirements of widespread pain, and tender points (indicating dysfunction of the central nervous system), but also included a number of other important pain and neurological symptoms, fatigue, sleep dysfunction, neurocognitive, autonomic and neuroendocrine symptoms and stiffness.
“The clinical definition will enable physicians to confidently make an early diagnosis. This could lessen the impact of FMS in some patients,” said Dr. Bruce M. Carruthers, co-editor of the FMS definition. “It will reduce the tremendous cost of patients being sent to many specialists before diagnosis and will mean they can receive appropriate treatment in a timely fashion.”
Canada also led the world in developing the first clinical definition of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome, which was published last year.
FIBROMYALGIA SYNDROME: Canadian Clincial Working Case Definition, Diagnostic and Treatment Protocols. A Consensus Document. Journal of Musculoskeletal Pain 11(4), 2003. The Consensus Document was published simultaneously as a book entitled, The Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Clinical Case Definition for Practitioners. Haworth Press 2004. Click on Consenus Documents in the Menu to find out how the documents were established, authors' and their affilliations, more about the documents, and ordering instructions. See ordering instruction under Consensus Documents in the Menu at the left.
Marj van de Sande