The iceberg nature of the fibromyalgia burden on people and societies – new review

There is an urgent need for greater awareness of fibromyalgia among medical services and societies in general, says a new review of the scientific literature about the clinical and economic aspects of fibromyalgia published in the Korean Journal of Pain.
Fibromyalgia is a common but challengeable illness that is characterised by chronic widespread pain, which can be accompanied by other symptoms including fatigue, sleep disturbances, cognitive dysfunction, anxiety and depressive episodes.
“While our understanding of this debilitating disorder is limited, diagnosis and treatment of this condition is very difficult, even in the hands of experts,” the authors highlight. “Due to the nature of disease, where patients experience invalidation by medical services, their families and societies regarding the recognition and management of disease, direct, indirect and immeasurable costs are considerable.
These clinical and economic costs are comparable with other common diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and osteoarthritis, but the latter usually receive much more attention from healthcare and non-healthcare resources.
The authors conclude:
“Present alarming data shows the grave and ‘iceberg-like’ burden of fibromyalgia despite the benign appearance of this disorder and highlights the urgent need both for greater awareness of the disease among medical services and societies, as well as for more research focused on easily used diagnostic methods and target specific treatment.”

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Iceberg image credit: National Ocean Service Image Gallery