Could Fibromyalgia Be Causing Your Pain?

Fibromyalgia is an arthritis related disease that's often difficult to diagnose because it's so often mistaken for arthritis. There are over 100 forms of arthritis, and any one of them can reflect the symptoms of Fibromyalgia. Both arthritis sufferers and fibromyalgia sufferers generally describe pain as their primary symptom.

Unlike arthritis, however, the pain is not localized in a specific joint or muscle; it's widespread, throbbing, sharp and deep. While the pain is widespread, many fibromyalgia patients also report "tender spots" where pain is felt more sharply if the area is pressed. Doctors have narrowed down the number of tender points to 18 specific locations. Under these circumstances, it's easy to understand why fibromyalgia is so difficult to diagnose.

If you suspect you may have Fibromyalgia, here's a list of the most common symptoms:

1. Widespread pain in combination with tender spots (generally, a physician will want to identify 11 tender spots before making a diagnosis of fibromyalgia).

2. Chronic fatigue. Fibromyalgia sufferers often describe an overwhelming sense of fatigue. Even after they've had eight or more hours of sleep (thought most Fibromyalgiapatients report difficulty getting a good night's sleep), they still often experience fatigue throughout the day.

3. Stiffness in the joints, especially in the morning. It's this joint stiffness which often leads doctors to mistake the diseas for arthritis.

4. Frequent headaches and migraines.

5. Tingling in the hands, legs, arms, and feet.

6. Swelling of the extremities.

7. Not always, but sometimes, Fibromyalgia patients also report symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome.

Making it even more difficult to diagnosis Fibromyalgia is that the disease often appears in conjunction with other forms of arthritis. It's very common, for instance, for a patient to suffer from both rheumatoid arthritis and Fibromyalgia.

While the disease has become well known for its mystery and the challenge associated with its diagnosis, health care professionals are more aware of the telltale Fibromyalgia symptoms than ever before. Using the 18 specific tender spots as guides and learning to identify pain by degress and location have helped enormously.

Could Fibromyalgia Be Causing Your Pain?

Discussing your symptoms with your doctor is the first step toward finding out.

Article Source: www.worldwidehealth.com

What Are The Symptoms And Preventive Measures Of Atherothrombosis?

Atherothrombosis is commonly a disease of older adults mainly because of the eventual buildup of deposits and the wear and tear on the blood vessels. This process may be accelerated in people who have uncontrolled risk factors and can also happen to younger adults.

Atherothrombosis of the arterial blood supply to the lower limbs can lead to an occlusion of the blood vessel, known as peripheral arterial disease or PAD. The blood supply to the segment that is supplied by the artery concerned is cut-off. This can lead to the cut-off of supply of nutrients to the area. If infection sets in, the area which is already dead will have to be amputated to prevent the infection from spreading to the other parts of the body. Otherwise, the life of patient could be in danger.

For PAD, A doctor can perform a simple test to get the "ankle-brachia index", which is obtained by measuring the blood pressure at the ankle and the forearm. If the ankle-brachia index is less than 0.9, it would imply that there is significant peripheral vascular disease.

Atherothrombosis may be silent during the early and milder stage of the disease. There may be no symptoms until the degree of narrowing in the blood vessel reaches a critical point. Blood vessels are everywhere in the body and the signs of atherothrombosis depends on which blood vessels are most affected.

The major signs of atherothrombosis include symptoms of poor circulation in the legs (aches in the legs when walking a certain distance, bluish discoloration of the toes, etc.), poor circulation to the heart (chest pains on exertion, shortness of breath, etc.), and poor circulation to the brain (transient or permanent stroke symptoms like sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body, problems with speech, unsteadiness, etc.). All of these symptoms may be gradual, intermittent or sudden in occurrence.

Treatment is by control of the modifiable risk factors like high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol, and by taking medication that prevents progression of blockages in the blood vessels.

The best way of protecting oneself from atherothrombosis is through a healthy lifestyle.

Regular physical activity of moderate intensity for at least 30 minutes for most days of the week is recommended. Besides its beneficial effects on blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol, it is evident that regular exercise also reduces "stickiness" of blood.

Heavy alcohol intake is always associated with increased risk of stroke and heart attack. It is recommended that those who drink heavily should cut down on the amount of drinking to at most two servings per day.

Any amount of smoking can increase the risk of having a stroke and heart attack by 2 or 3 times. Smoking is also directly linked to disease of blood vessels in the legs. This disease may affect the circulation of blood in the lower limbs. It takes about 2 to 4 years after smoking cessation before one's risk goes back down to that of someone who never smoked. The goal is to completely stop smoking. Not even a few sticks of cigarettes a day is acceptable.

A high-fiber and low-cholesterol diet is highly recommended as it is beneficial in reducing blood pressure, cholesterol, and obesity.

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Article Source: www.worldwidehealth.com