Seemingly all fibro forums are pretty much hibernating, so here goes on this project…
First I’m completing this cause/trigger list, cos there’s not much new.
I’m not hiding the details at the moment, so it’s easier for me to edit. Click here if you want the old tidier list.
Before listing any of of the causes or triggers, most important is that we are in a chicken-and-egg-dilemma: Any biomarker, symptom etc. that may be present can be an effect or a cause or both, or a vicious circle. Article etc here on this thread: Sort of example: If we are depressed, is this an effect of the fibromyalgia (or it’s pre-form) or part of its causality?
Cause/Trigger list
A. HYPOTHESES (“THEORIES”) (pathogenesis; etiology)
A.1. CSS, central sensitization syndrome, central sensitivity syndrome (pain only)
- The Science of Fibromyalgia (CSS)
- Inflammation of the glia as cause or effect?
A.2. Autoimmune (“AI”) (e.g. - perhaps! - biomarkers cytokines (e.g. IL-6) / chemokines, cf. B.1)
- Newest study: Goebel et al 2021: https://www.jci.org/articles/view/144201 FMS-IgG causes “sensitivity to pressure and cold” and reduces “movement grip strength” in mice, AI-treatment helped, summary here.
A.3. SFN = Small Fiber Neuropathy (pain)
- Subset? 2021 Advances, 2020 unsupportive study, 2019 Current Diagnosis & Treatment of Painful SFN, 2018 “the plot thickens!”, 2015 Role and Importance of SFN in FM, 2014 SFN involvement in FM.
A.4. AV-shunt-disorder
A.5. Neuroendocrine
A.6. Mitochondria/ATP/Q10
Studies about Q10 & FM mention this connection as a cause (or biomarker?). (Cf. Kuklinski, Rostock.)
A.7. Underlying issues like chronic pain, sleep disorder, low GABA, other diseases (e.g. SPD)
- Due to @Sheila_W 's idea mentioned here
- Occasional ‘healing’ or finding other underlying issues.
- Chronic pain idea: Cfs - #6 by SK1
- GABA improves 10+ of my own symptoms
- Stiff Person’s Disorder (cf. @Freedom): Good news! I don’t have Stiff Person’s Syndrome
(- After getting my pains down, a sleep disorder seemed the core, after getting that down, The Ache.)
A.8. genetic predisposition: twins; translocator protein gene
- Occurs more in some families, also in twins. 15% increased likelihood in twins https://www.painscale.com/article/7-possible-causes-triggering-fibromyalgia-pain
- Translocator protein gene, Kosek 2016: The translocator protein gene is associated with symptom severity and cerebral pain processing in fibromyalgia - PubMed
- translocator protein gene Fanton 2021 (with Kosek) The translocator protein gene is associated with endogenous pain modulation and the balance between glutamate and GABA in fibromyalgia and healthy subjects: a multimodal neuroimaging study - PubMed TSPO is important for pain, so meds shd target that.
A.9. (Not accepted in any way: Extinction memory damage, EMD
A.10. (Unclear idea: HPV vaccination syndrome)
History of FM: FMA UK - The History of Fibromyalgia
B. BIOMARKERS (‘tests’ for FMS, more validation needed)
B.1. Proinflammatory/neuroinflammatory cytokines (IL-6, IL-8) / chemokines / mast cells…
- The basis of the wannabe (= unproven) fibro-test: the FM/a test by Gillis’ EpicGenetics
- Neuroinflammation in Fibromyalgia
- Study on Fibromyalgia and cytokines & esp. chemokines 2014
- “Low-grade chronic inflammation mediated by mast cells in fibromyalgia: role of IL-37”:
- 2021: Serial whole-body cryotherapy in fibromyalgia is effective and alters cytokine profiles"
- 2018, done 2010: Cytokines in FM not influenced by exercise, hardly by Relaxation
- Cytokines in FM not correlated with muscle pain Christidis 2015.
- Is there an inflammatory subgroup of fibromyalgia: iFM?: 1, 2 & 3: markers?: cytokines, inflammatory markers, sleep disorders, hyperalgesia, cognitive dysfunction, serum leptin levels & other inflammatory indicators.
- Are GABA and its derivatives related to this?
B.2. Salivary Biomarkers
B.3. Muscle pressure
- Muscle Pressure is Almost 3x Higher than Expected in Trapezius = here = pdf, cf. here
- Health Rising: Criticism that this doesn’t explain much & Mg & HBOT to improve muscle oxygen is not mentioned in the study. (My answer here: Pardon Our Interruption)
B.4. Less gut bacteria & serum: molecular biomarkers and altered glutamate metabolism
- Gut microbiome and serum metabolome analyses identify molecular biomarkers & altered glutamate metabolism in FM 2019, full text & here.
B.5 Hormones: serotonin, noradrenaline, dopamine, cortisol…
- abnormally low levels of the hormones serotonin, noradrenaline and dopamine.
- other hormones such as cortisol.
B.6 protein backbones and pyridine-carboxylic acids using vibrational spectroscopy
- Hackshaw 2019 et al. Metabolic fingerprinting for diagnosis of FM (etc.)
B.7 Branched-chain-amino acids and phenylalanin lower
B.8 Insulin resistance
C. Possible general STARTING POINTS
C.1. Virus Infections:
- For flu, swine flu, Epstein-Barr-Virus (EBV) the evidence is only anecdotal: Real studies are >30 years old and don’t really see much of a connection: 1987, 1989, newer: EBV-Research - Fibromyalgia Resources, EBV & FM - Wellness Resources (interesting to me, as I’m using glutamate and serotonin increasing amino acids like GABA, whilst catecholamines are also something Trudy Scott recommends amino acids for.)
- COVID-19 - long CoV/long haulers in future?
C.2. Psychological:
- Trauma, stress, panic disorder,
- bipolar disorder (The Co-Morbidity between Bipolar and Panic Disorder in FMS)
C.3. Functional - intolerances, deficiencies:
“10 causes of fibromyalgia your doctor may not know about” and as livingwithfibro-post
- gluten,
- candida,
- thyroid,
- mg/D3/B12,
- SIBO/leaky gut, (small intestine bacterial overgrowth here.
- mycotoxins,
- mercury fillings
- adrenal fatigue as result,
- MTHFR mutations (B6, B12, folinic acid nec.),
- glutathione deficiency
-
Fructose (& fructans) decreasing serotonin
“A Metabolic Approach Grounded in Biochemistry for the Remission of Symptoms” = on Pubmed (2017): Increasing serotonin by reducing fructose (= some carbs) and increasing trytophan in food intake , instead of taking supps. (Women only?)
(C.4 Extreme unexplained sunburn (sebailey on inspire))
D. Causing LONG-TERM FLARES (weeks or months)
http://www.healthcentral.com/chronic-pain/c/5949/151398/fibromyalgia/ found by @Sheila_W here: 10 Causes of Fibro Flares
Flares/flare-ups can take hours, days, months or years, can start 48h later than the trigger.
A journal / log / diary / blog can help identify triggers/causes.
D.1. Illness, common cold…
D.2. injury,
D.3. long-term stress (often hard to identify)
D.4. allergies, incl. seasonal,
D.5. sleep problems
D.6. vicious circles of sleep, stomach/gut problems, etc.
D.7. hormonal changes (menstrual cycles, menopause, etc.)
D.8. treatment changes
D.9. meds/supps/herbs, even without changing them. e.g. Statins may be a nocebo!
D.10. traveling: Travel disrupts sleep, nutrition, environment& activity levels, cf. NAD+
E. Causing SHORT-TERM FLARES (hours or days)
E.1. Physicallly overdoing it/overexertion:
carrying on physical activities altho we are over our limits/capacities
E.2. Mental Stress
social: socializing/peopling
E.3. Weather, esp. temperature, esp. changes
Cold, hot, sunny, extremes, changes, wind, humidity, seasonal allergies, rainy
E.4. sensitivies: light, noise, smells
…
E.5. changes in sleep routine
…
Version 2021-12-10 = Dec 10th