Gluten sensitivity could underpin fibromyalgia

The underlying cause of fibromyalgia could be as simple as gluten sensitivity, suggests a study published in Rheumatology International.
Fibromyalgia is a disabling condition that is extremely difficult to treat and there is no cure. Experts have noticed, however, that gluten sensitivity that does not fulfil the diagnostic criteria for coeliac disease has many symptoms that overlap with those of fibromyalgia. These include musculoskeletal pain, asthenia and irritable bowel syndrome. But coeliac disease is a treatable condition.
So a team recruited 20 people with fibromyalgia who did not have coeliac disease (ruled out by tests) and found that their symptoms did improve when placed on a gluten-free diet. The small study is part of a wider research project involving greater numbers of people.
The study authors followed them up for an average of 16 months and in that time, the level of widespread chronic pain improved dramatically for all participants. Other results included:
– 15 people reported that chronic widespread pain was no longer present, indicating remission of fibromyalgia
– 15 people returned to work or normal life
– 3 people previously treated in with opioids discontinued using the drugs
– Fatigue, gastrointestinal symptoms, migraine and depression improved.
“This report shows that remarkable clinical improvement can be achieved with a gluten-free diet in patients with fibromyalgia, even if coeliac disease has been ruled out, suggesting that non-coeliac gluten sensitivity may be an underlying treatable cause of fibromyalgia syndrome,” the team concludes.
Click here to read the original research.