Fibromyalgia is a medical condition characterized by widespread pain in the body along with increased tiredness, decreased sleep, loss of memory, mood swings, skin related problems, involuntary muscle twitching, symptomatic fall in blood sugar (hypoglycemia) etc. Hence fibromyalgia is often alternatively known as fibromyalgia syndrome because of the above mentioned associated symptoms. .Along with the characteristic widespread pain in the whole body another characteristic feature of fibromyalgia is exaggerated painful response to pressure (known as allodynia). Sometimes patients suffering from fibromyalgia also suffer from various psychiatric problems namely depression, anxiety, etc. Not all the people suffering from fibromyalgia suffer from all the above mentioned symptoms.

About 20 to 30% patients of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus also suffer from the symptoms of fibromyalgia.
The exact underlying cause of fibromyalgia is not known but it is thought occur due to interplay of genetic, psychological, environmental and neurobiological factors. Research into the cause of the condition has lead to the idea that in this disease the way in which brain normally process the painful signals is interfered with.

In some patients symptoms of fibromyalgia may precipitate following any stressful event namely trauma, infection, immediately after surgery etc. whereas in others the symptoms of fibromyalgia gradually become evident with worsening of severity over years.

Fibromyalgia affects about 2-8% of the total population although the condition may not be diagnosed in about 755 of the cases. This condition is more common in females than males. This condition is more common in people between 20 and 50 years of age however children may also suffer from fibromyalgia. Usually women suffering from fibromyalgia also suffer from headache, temporomandibular joint disorders, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.

Although the condition is neither degenerative nor life threatening, the symptoms of fibromyalgia could be very much bothersome and persistent symptoms take toll on the affected person’s physical and mental health. There is no permanent cure for fibromyalgia however drugs like pain killers, antidepressant agents, antiepileptic drugs are prescribed to relieve the symptoms. Psychological therapies are known to cause improvement of the bothersome symptoms to some extent.

Symptoms
Common presenting symptoms of fibromyalgia include
1. Generalized pain: the affected persons often describe the pain of fibromyalgia as constant nagging pain without any specific location lasting for at least 3 months. Usually the pain affects both the sides of the body and areas above and below the waist. The most commonly affected areas include shoulder, neck, hips, lower back area, etc.
2. Tiredness: tiredness is a very common symptom associated with fibromyalgia as even after sleeping for long periods the patients of fibromyalgia complain of tiredness. This occurs mainly because the sleep is often interrupted by pain. Several other sleep related disorders are commonly seen in patients of fibromyalgia; these are rest leg syndrome, sleep apnea, etc.
3. Cognitive impairment: fibromyalgia may also lead to impairment of cognitive skills like inability to focus, poor concentration, inattentiveness, inability to perform multiple tasks at one time, poor speed of performance etc.
4. Impairment of both long and short term memory
5. Other common symptoms associated with fibromyalgia include depression, non specific pain in the lower abdomen (especially cramping in nature), depression etc

The most common complication associated with fibromyalgia is lack of sleep which can easily make the affected person irritable, tired leading to deterioration of performance at workplace, college even can have a negative effect on social and personal life.