Question

I've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and I'm confused, because my doctor says it may be due to stress. I always thought it was something like rheumatism in the muscles, not in the mind.

I did have flu some months back, and felt very tired afterwards. Could that have anything to do with it?
 

Answer

There's no doubt that in fibromyalgia there are tender spots in the muscles at various well-defined sites; that's really how the diagnosis is made. Treatment is often unsuccessful, which is why it's sometimes labeled a stress-related disease. Recently, more attention has been paid to the possibility that a viral infection may be related to fibromyalgia. In one study, tests showed that enterovirus DNA was present in muscle biopsies of 4 out of 30 fibromyalgia patients, 3 out of 15 patients with chronic inflammatory muscle disease, and in none of 29 healthy adults (see the publication below). So your recent flu attack may be responsible for your present symptoms. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean that taking an antiviral drug will effect a cure. But at least you won't worry too much about it being "all in the mind". Check out the links below.
 

Related Links
A New Approach to Fibromyalgia