(WYTV) – At least 4 million Americans suffer with the daily pain and fatigue of fibromyalgia, but diagnosis and treatment can be difficult.
Researchers at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center have, for the first time, identified a potential test to diagnose fibromyalgia with just a few drops of blood.
It’s welcome news for those living in pain for years, often turning to pain medication for relief.
“Many of the patients with chronic opiate use turn out to have underlying fibromyalgia,” said. “So in fact, if that was recognized, then we could realize that we can stem the tide of treating them inappropriately with opiates.”
Doctors say this test can confirm and validate the symptoms fibromyalgia patients have been feeling for years. It means managing the ailment with a daily routine.
In short, fibromyalgia is pain and fatigue, and we don’t know why.
Ohio State researchers are now looking at this blood test in a larger group of patients. They’d like to take it out of the lab and into the exam room to diagnose fibromyalgia on the spot.
