Many patients with Parkinson's disease have chronic widespread pain unrelated to their mobility problems. In this regard, pain in Parkinson's disease is similar to pain in fibromyalgia. Furthermore many of the chemical changes which have been shown to occur in Parkinson's disease also occur in fibromyalgia.
Several rheumatic diseases can mimic fibromyalgia. These include sero-negative rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Lyme disease, polymyalgia rheumatica and lupus.
Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a disease that mimics PD, particularly early in its course, but that comes with additional distinctive signs and symptoms.
Fibromyalgia often co-occurs with other types of arthritis such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and ankylosing spondylitis.
The main symptoms of fibromyalgia are: Chronic, widespread pain throughout the body or at multiple sites. Pain is often felt in the arms, legs, head, chest, abdomen, back, and buttocks. People often describe it as aching, burning, or throbbing.
Fibromyalgia is often triggered by an event that causes physical stress or emotional (psychological) stress. Possible triggers include: a serious injury, such as after a car accident. an infection, such as Epstein-Barr virus or Lyme disease.
Classification. Parkinson's disease is the most common form of parkinsonism and is also called idiopathic parkinsonism, meaning that it has no identifiable cause.
Parkinson's disease (PD) is actually an autoimmune disease. Autoimmunity occurs when immune homeostasis is broken by several main mechanisms shown in this figure, which directly result in an increase in error recognition and self-attack and a decrease in self-tolerance to autoantigens.
Unfortunately, fibromyalgia is still a somewhat controversial diagnosis, because it is not yet fully understood and its symptoms can overlap with many other conditions. Some people even say that it's a “garbage can” diagnosis that's only given when no other one can be made.
Because fibromyalgia presents as a cluster of nebulous (vague) symptoms, and there is no definitive cure, treatments are based on trial and error. This can be tremendously frustrating to physicians and that means patients have to cope with the fallout.
FACT: Fibromyalgia is a neurological disease affecting a person's sensory processing system. Fibromyalgia does not involve inflammation or damage to joints. Brain imaging and studies have shown that fibromyalgia is a disorder of the central nervous system.
What is progressive supranuclear palsy? Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a rare neurological disorder that affects body movements, walking and balance, and eye movements. PSP is caused by damage to nerve cells in areas of the brain that control thinking and body movements.
Multiple system atrophy – the cousin of Parkinson's disease. MSA is a degenerative brain disorder that impairs the body's functions, including blood pressure, heart rate, bladder function and is related to Parkinson's disease. The cause of MSA is largely unknown, and affects men and women equally.
Rapid-onset dystonia-parkinsonism (RDP) is a very rare movement disorder, characterized by the abrupt onset of parkinsonism and dystonia, often triggered by physical or psychological stress.
Tremors, muscle stiffness and slowness of movement are all common early symptoms of Parkinson's – but there are also other signs to be aware of. Sleep and night-time problems are common in Parkinson's. People with Parkinson's are more likely to experience insomnia due to certain symptoms which can disrupt sleep.
The finger tapping test evaluates bradykinesia, focusing on decrement in rate, amplitude, or both with repetitive action. Vertical positioning of the hands during this task may also be clinically relevant.
Many researchers now believe that Parkinson's results from a combination of genetic and environmental factors, such as exposure to toxins.
Testing for Parkinson's Disease
A DaTscan involves an injection of a small amount of a radioactive drug and a machine called a single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanner, similar to an MRI. The drug binds to dopamine transmitters in the brain, showing where in the brain dopaminergic neurons are.
The test is called an alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay (SAA). Several small studies have previously shown that this test can distinguish between people who do or do not have Parkinson's. On April 12, 2023 The Lancet published the largest test of alpha-synuclein SAA to-date.
Organic pollutants: PCBs, or polychlorinated biphenyls, were used in various industrial processes until they were banned in the 1970s. Researchers have found high concentrations of PCBs in the brains of people who had Parkinson's.
Fibromyalgia was formerly classified as an inflammatory musculoskeletal disease but is now considered to be an illness that primarily affects the central nervous system.
Other researchers believe fibromyalgia is caused by a lack of deep sleep. It is during stage 4 sleep that muscles recover from the prior day's activity, and the body refreshes itself. Sleep studies show that as people with fibromyalgia enter stage 4 sleep, they become more aroused and stay in a lighter form of sleep.
Fibromyalgia is diagnosed more often in women than in men. Family history. You may be more likely to develop fibromyalgia if a parent or sibling also has the condition. Other disorders.