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Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME / CFS) Post Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS), Fibromyalgia Leading Research. Delivering Hope.Open Medicine Foundation® Canada
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What is
Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia is one of the most common chronic pain conditions that causes widespread pain, tenderness, fatigue, sleep problems, and other health conditions

4 million people

in the US live with fibromyalgia

Women are 2X

more likely to have fibromyalgia than men

Fibromyalgia pain affects every aspect of life

The CDC states that there are about 4 million people in the US (about 2 percent of the adult population) with fibromyalgia compared with about 1-2.5 million people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis​/​Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME​/​CFS). There is a substantial overlap between Fibromyalgia and ME/CFS, especially in demographic and clinical similarities/symptoms. Our pioneering mission at OMFCA is to solve under-researched and under-funded chronic complex diseases including ME/CFS, Fibromyalgia (FM) and Post-treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome (PTLDS)​/​chronic​/​persistent Lyme Disease.  Many of these diseases have overlapping symptoms. Breakthroughs in one disease will shed light on the others.
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Fibromyalgia is a multi-system disease

Symptoms

Although chronic, widespread body pain is the primary symptom of fibromyalgia, a variety of other symptoms are common in FM patients.

Most Common Symptoms

Pain and stiffness all over the body

Fatigue and tiredness

Depression and anxiety

Sleep problems

Problems with thinking, memory, and concentration

Headaches, including migraines

Environmental sensitivities

Other Symptoms

Tingling or numbness in hands and feet

Pain in the face or jaw, including disorders of the jaw known as temporomandibular joint syndrome (also known as TMJ)

Digestive problems, such as abdominal pain, bloating, constipation

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)

Doctors usually diagnose fibromyalgia using the patient’s history, physical examination, X-rays, and blood work.

Diagnosis

There are no diagnostic biomarkers for fibromyalgia and it can typically take five years for a patient to receive an accurate diagnosis.

Personalized Automated Symptom Summary (PASS)

To aid in the diagnosis, OMFCA is developing a patient-driven tool named “Personalized Automated Symptom Summary (PASS)” that is intended to aid a clinician to more efficiently define the character and priorities of symptoms for patients with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME / CFS), PTLDS  /  chronic  / persistent Lyme disease, or Fibromyalgia.

The overall strategy is to reduce the time spent by a clinician to evaluate and diagnose a patient with a chronic illness. The intent is to bridge the communication gap between patient and doctor, helping patients to more accurately and efficiently convey their symptoms to their treating physician.

There is no cure for fibromyalgia

Progress

Treatment is typically prescribed by a rheumatologist and focused on the management and relief of symptoms. A multi-disciplinary approach is usually recommended.

Progress in ME​/​CFS research will help find answers for Fibromyalgia. Therefore, understanding ME​/​CFS and Fibromyalgia are crucial to improving the lives of millions.

We remain confident that OMFCA’s open, collaborative and unique approach to research will give more answers for all.

Support OMFCA

Support Open Medicine Foundation Canada’s quest to find effective treatments and diagnostic tests for the millions of people affected by these devastating diseases!

Donate now

Learn more about Fibromyalgia: 

  1. Arthritis Foundation
  2. National Fibromyalgia Association
  3. CDC: Center for Disease Control and Prevention
  4. NIH: National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
  5. Mass ME/CFS & FM

 

Disclaimer: This website is for informational purposes only. The information provided on this website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

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Microvesicles and viral sequencing
Microvesicles are a type of extracellular vesicle that is released from the cell membrane. Vesicles are small, fluid-filled sacs or vacuoles within the body. Sequencing is a technique used to determine the exact sequence of bases (A, C, G, and T) in a DNA (or viral) molecule.
NMR Metabolomics
NMR (Nuclear Magnetic Resonance) is an instrument/tool used to perform metabolic studies, metabolic profiling, and metabolomics in biofluids and tissues for more than 40 years using magnetic fields. There is a very close connection between metabolic measurements and NMR. This connection has flourished because of NMR’s many unique strengths for characterizing complex mixtures’ chemical composition.
Proteomics
The large-scale study of proteins, which are large, complex molecules that are required for structure, function, and regulation of the human body's tissues and organs.
Autoantibodies
Antibodies that react with self-molecules and that occur in healthy individuals and are referred to as natural antibodies or autoantibodies.
Extracellular DNA for viral reactivation and Mitochondrial DNA
exDNA (extracellular DNA), exDNA is often secreted actively and is used to perform several tasks, thereby offering an attractive target or tool for biotechnological, medical, environmental, and general microbiological applications. Viruses are intracellular parasites that rely to a significant extent on the host cell for replication. Viral reactivation occurs when an active replication of the viral genome results in a lytic (degradation of the cell) infection characterized by the release of new progeny (descendant) virus particles.
Immune cell profiling
The immune system has many important regulatory roles in disease development and progression. Given the emergence of effective immune therapies, reliable predictors of response are needed. Immune cell profiling determines response by evaluating immune cell populations from treated and untreated samples. For our purposes, we will evaluate the white blood cell response to the viral infection using a process called “Cytof.”
Leukocyte Genomics
A leukocyte is a colorless cell circulating in the blood and body fluids and is involved in counteracting foreign substances and disease. A genome is all genetic material of an organism. Genomics is a biology field focusing on the structure, function, evolution, mapping, and editing of genomes. Therefore, leukocyte genomics is the study of all genetic material of leukocytes.
Metabolomics
Metabolomics is a way to study metabolism – that is, through measuring amounts of the metabolites (small molecules) produced by our bodies as we convert food into energy and other molecules that our cells need to survive. Metabolomics technology is ‘large-scale,’ meaning that several thousand metabolites can be measured from a single sample of e.g., blood or urine.
Micro RNA
Cells use Micro RNA to control whether a particular gene is making too much, too little or the normal amount of its protein at a particular time.